Amber Spirit
by HesperideIsis
Summary: Kasumi has always been quiet and secretive. Not even her closest friends know half her secrets. Of course, fate decides to put her in Team 7 where her teammates can't seem to leave things well alone. Between getting her team up to standard, remaining alive, and slapping death daily in the face, she finds herself dealing with a certain Uchiha who is annoyingly persistent. SasukeXOC
1. Kasumi

**Me: Welcome to my story!  
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**Kasumi:...get on with it.**

**Me: *sulks but quickly recovers* Naruto does not belong to me!**

**Kasumi: And if you like One Piece, take a look at author-chan's other stories. Ja ne!**

**Me: Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Teams<strong>

"Next, team 7..." Iruka-sensei read off the list. "Uzumaki Naruto..."

"..." Naruto opened his eyes, his entire body language shouting defeat as Sakura-chan had already been prounced to be on Team 3.

Sasuke rested his chin on his interlaced fingers, face stoic.

Kasumi watched calmly.

"...Uchiha Sasuke..."

"Damn..." Naruto cursed, hanging his head in despair.

Sasuke continued to rest his chin on his interlaced fingers, face stoic.

Kasumi blinked.

"And Kasumi."

Naruto's mouth snapped shut in surprise, his indignant train of thought breaking off.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

In unison, the two shot a look at the quiet girl sitting in the back corner of the room.

Kasumi looked back at them calmly, her hair up in a bun woven with green ribbons with stray pieces falling around her heart shaped face. She wore her forehead protector around her neck, a layered green blouse over black pants, a long black trench coat that fell to her knees, and shinobi boots. Her eyes were steady.

**Introduction**

The girl was a mystery. To most of the class, the adults, and even Iruka-sensei.

She had been introduced to the class when they were all eight.

Iruka-sensei had come into the classroom, leading her gently with his hand on her back. Surprised and curious, the students had stopped their insistent chattering for once and stared in silence at the newcomer.

In front of the class, he had stopped and turned her to face her towards her new classmates.

The academy students had seen a girl about their age turn to look at them. She had long hair the color of cream and platinum in a bun at her nape, woven with green ribbons and large brown eyes flecked with dark amber. Her features were delicate and she wore a simple black shirt and black pants.

Despite the anxiety and nervousness that inevitably came with facing dozens of other children, her face was perfectly blank.

"Class, this is Kasumi, your new classmate." Iruka-sensei had announced, giving them all a stern look. "I expect you all to welcome her warmly."

Later, the students came to know her as the quiet, polite but distant girl who sat in the darkest corner of the classroom.

**Fangirls or the SUFA  
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Kasumi's first experience with her new classmates did not go well.

The Uchiha massacre hadn't occurred yet and Sasuke had quite the fanbase of rabid, screeching banshees. Who knew when they were being threatened, even unknowingly.

"Hey, you!" Ami, the leader of the Sasuke Uchiha Fangirls Association or the SUFA screeched at Kasumi as soon as Iruka left for lunch break, storming up to the new girl.

Kasumi blinked slowly and turned to face the horde of SUFA, the movement unconsciously graceful. Ami and her mob bristled at her grace. This was unacceptable!

"Yes?" She questioned softly, her voice distantly warm.

Ami scowled and pointed a finger rudely at her. "Stay away from Sasuke-kun, you hear! You're not worthy of him! He's OUR'S!"

Kasumi looked at the rather loud and obnoxious girl blankly. "Who?"

Ami's scowl deepened and she narrowed her eyes, before swinging around to point at the dark-haired boy who was pointedly ignoring them. "Sasuke Uchiha!" She declared, hearts appearing briefly in her eyes that turned to daggers as soon as she turned back to Kasumi "He's ours! So don't go near him!"

Sasuke groaned softly and buried his face in his arms.

Kasumi glanced at the boy questioningly. "Is there something wrong with him?" He seemed fine...but maybe he was sick?

A collective gasp swept through the room. Ami looked like she was about to spontaneously combust, her face turning purple. The girls of the SUFA behind her looked horrified.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

That encounter ended with the SUFA hating Kasumi, the boys in the class in awe and half in love with the one girl who did not worship Sasuke, (Hinata didn't count, she worshiped _Naruto_ and that was worse) Sasuke sighing in pure relief at the knowledge that he had one less fangirl to worry about, and Kasumi wondering if her new classmates were insane.

**Choji Akimichi**

The second direct encounter that Kasumi had with her classmates was when she stood up for a kid she didn't know.

Choji was pale, rapidly munching on a bag of chips a few weeks after Kasumi's introduction. Shikamaru wasn't here today - he was sick - and he was really nervous. Shikamaru was his only friend and he was scared someone would start to pick on him.

"Hey, fatty!" A taunting voice called out. Choji flinched and turned to see a group of boys smirking at him meanly. "Keep on eating and you won't be able to walk anymore! Rolling on the floor would be more like it!" The leader said snidely and the other boys started to laugh.

Choji bit his lip, shrinking back. He hated the teasing and the name calling. He had to deal with the bullies all the time and Shikamaru had defended him when they had become friends, but he wasn't here today.

"Aww...is the fatty upset?" The boy cooed, invoking yet more laughter from the group of kids. Choji tried to hold back the tears that sprang to his eyes.

"You guys," A new voice cut in, distinctly feminine. The boys turned to see Kasumi standing a few feet away from them, holding her books to her chest, and frowning at them in disapproval.

"Hi, Kasumi-chan!" The leader of the group grinned, trying to be charming. He had liked the pretty new girl for a while now, but when he tried to talk to her, she always left in a hurry. It was almost as if she didn't like him back! Which was, of course, impossible. But today, she had talked to him on her own! This proved she did fancy him!

Her eyes were cold, something he didn't bother noticing. "What exactly are you guys doing?"

The idiotic boy's grin widened and he gestured to Choji who grimaced. "Oh, we were dealing with this fattso here. Nothing to worry about. He's nothing."

Kasumi's eyes focused on Choji and he breathed in deeply to steady himself. Choji looked up, knowing he would only see contempt, but needing, _needing_ to show at least some resistance. He wasn't nothing and he knew it, even if they didn't!

To his surprise, there was only quiet kindness in her brown eyes. They were pretty, Choji thought absentmindedly through his shock. Her eyes were really pretty with all those amber flecks.

She smiled gently at him and Choji's eyes widened. Then she turned to the confused group of boys and her eyes turned cold again. "Really? Because in my opinion, this 'nothing' is worth more than all of you combined."

The lead boy gaped, eyes wide. "Kasumi-chan..?"

Kasumi carried on relentlessly. "You're a bully who picks on others, because of insecurity. The rest of you are sheep, without individuality and thought. You'll never receive the respect you desire with this behavior. It would be plain distasteful to compare you boys to Choji-san."

Silence reigned in the room. The boys, including Choji, had their jaws on the floor. Firmly, she pointed at the door. "Leave."

Still speechless, the group of bullies began to trickle out. Having no other choice the lead boy went too, but not before yelling, "Yeah, well, you're just a bitch!"

The door closed with a loud bang.

Satisfied with her work, Kasumi turned to look at Choji and he did the same. She studied his shocked face thoughtfully for a moment before starting to walk towards the door.

As she passed him, she lightly pressed her hand on his arm. "It'll be okay." She whispered and continued, her stride never breaking.

The door opened and closed and she was gone, leaving Choji to stare after her.

The next day, Kasumi looked up from her book to see a shyly smiling Choji in front of her desk. The boy called Shikamaru stood behind him, face bored, but eyes firmly focused on her.

'What are they doing?' She asked herself curiously. She was glad to see that Choji was alright, but the kids mostly ignored her. It was what she preferred; she had chosen her seat purely for that reason.

"Kasumi-chan, I, uhh, j-just wanted to thank you for yesterday. No one other than Shikamaru has ever stood up for me before." Choji stuttered.

Kasumi blinked slowly and then, she smiled. Her smile lit up her face, turned her eyes into pools of melted chocolate, and turned her from 'merely' pretty to beautiful. "You're welcome, Choji-san."

And so, Kasumi became a friend of Choji and by extension, Shikamaru.

The young Akimichi never forgot that day of simple, pure kindness. Kasumi was a good friend. Shikamaru was still his _best_ friend, but she came in a close second. Kasumi was quiet- not because she was a snob, which was what the other kids thought- but because she preferred to observe rather than talk.

Kasumi was also rather strange, not that he minded. She loved to read and isolated herself from the world more often than not, but at the same time, she would spend hours watching the busy streets. She didn't talk to the people, oh no, she simply watched them. Most of the time they hanged out, Shikamaru would look at the clouds, Choji would eat his potato chips, and Kasumi would read her books.

It was a quiet, peaceful time.

Choji didn't mind the silence. She never made fun of him being big-boned, nor did she attempt to force a diet on him like Ino did. She let him be himself and that was the greatest gift of all.

Yes, she did have a tendency to hoard information to herself like a dragon with gold and she could be remarkably introverted, but he didn't care. No matter how distant or moody she became, he could always see that strange, _true_ kindness that had led her to defend a boy she had never before talked to.

**Shikamaru**

Shikamaru was surprised by very few things in his life, even as an eight year old child. But Kasumi...well, she seemed to have the horrid habit of doing exactly that.

When she had first shown up, he had opened one eye, stared at her, and promptly closed that eye, falling back to sleep. She would be another normal classmate, he assumed. Nothing to get excited about.

When she had completely dismissed Sasuke, he had opened both eyes to look at her in astonishment. Huh, he had thought. A sane girl. A not-quite-as-troublesome girl. Huh. And then he had closed his eyes and went back to sleep. Another ice queen.

When everyone else pegged her as a snob, arrogant girl who thought she was too good for their company and she didn't say anything to prove them wrong, he had listened quietly, eyes at half-mast, and wondered at them. Yeah, she was unfriendly and somewhat cold, but she wasn't arrogant. And then he had decided it was all too troublesome and dozed off.

When Choji had barged into his room with some fruit and a story about how she had defended him against some bullies that day, his eyes had flown open and despite his reducing-fever and laziness, snapped upright. What was going on here? Kasumi was simply a normal student that had ice queen tendencies and was incredibly introverted. And yet, she had chosen to defend Choji, a boy she had never talked to, and even Shikamaru's genius mind couldn't find a deciding advantage for her to do so.

Why had she done it?

The next morning, he had watched, eyes fully open and mind fully awake, as Choji thanked her. And he had realized all his assumptions were wrong.

Kasumi wasn't merely another classmate at the Academy. She wasn't an ice queen and she wasn't unfriendly and she wasn't cold. She _was_ troublesome, because she was a puzzle, a mystery, a troublesome challenge that he wanted to decipher, but knew would be a pain.

She wanted to be left alone, but she didn't mind company. She didn't like unnecessary actions and words, but she went out of her way to comfort people who needed it. She was a pretty girl, but she didn't obsess over her looks. She was a hardworker, but never worked herself to the ground. It was all rather confusing.

When Choji invited her to hang out with them, he hadn't objected. She was reserved and really, the first female he had met that didn't scream at him at the drop of a pin. (Hinata didn't really count; that girl couldn't _talk_ without some stuttering) To some extent, she understood his goal of having an average life and while it was troublesome, some of the debates she had lured him into were rather interesting. She didn't badger him, didn't nag him, and he found her presence undemanding, another first from the female gender.

Still, friend or not, Shikamaru was intelligent and observant. So, he knew full well that Kasumi had more than a few secrets.

Once on a warm summer day, when Choji was away working at his clan's restaurant, he had turned to her and asked, "Why don't you have a last name?"

It was an off-hand question, asked solely because he was curious and lazy and had nothing else to do. But, Kasumi flinched as if he struck her and shadows crept into her eyes like a deadly plague. Startled and worried, he had touched her thigh, muttering, "Kasumi?"

Her eyes had snapped back to his and in the instant before her barriers came down once more, he saw nightmares covered in gore and corpses sprayed with blood. And then she blinked and was back to normal. Kasumi had smiled at him and while it wasn't fake, it wasn't particularly real either.

"Bad memories." She said to him and he hadn't pushed, because that one instant had reminded him of some of the seasoned Anbu who were war veterans and for her to have it at age eight...

He didn't want to think or know what caused it.

Now, as a full-fledged nine year old, he stared at his shogi board in shock, eyes bulging, and jaw open. Kasumi had beaten him at shogi. Beaten. Him. At. Shogi.

Yes, it had been one move before he would have checkmated her and yes, it was the first time in the 10 times they had played, but she had beaten _him_ at shogi.

"Again." He demanded, looking up to meet her ever so slightly satisfied eyes.

She smiled.

5 hours later, Shikamaru's father found them still playing shogi. Shikarmaru was winning, but Kasumi was putting up quite the fight, 5 to 3.

**Shino**

Shino would be hard-pressed to say whether he was friends with Kasumi at age 10. He sat next to her at times and she sat next to him at times during lunch, but they didn't talk much. Most of the time, they would simply enjoy the silence and their meals. Neither of them liked clouding the air with meaningless words like most of their other classmates.

One day changed their relationship, if you could call it that.

"Ugh, he's so disgusting."

"Do you know he has bugs in his body?"

"Why does he wear sunglasses all the time? I bet his eyes are really ugly."

Shino never reacted to the whispers, but that didn't mean he didn't hear them. He stiffened, his kikachu bugs running around nervously.

"Shino-san." A familiar voice interrupted. He turned his head to see Kasumi settle down beside him, forgoing her usual spot at the back with Shikamaru and Choji to his surprise. She looked at him, eyes intense. "Never be ashamed of who you are."

His eyes widened, but Kasumi promptly turned back to her textbook as if nothing was out of the ordinary and said nothing more.

The next day, neither Shikamaru nor Choji seemed very surprised when Shino chose to sit with them during lunch.

From that day on, the two were close friends and could generally be counted on to be the restful oasis in the desert of pure noise and chaos that was the classroom. God knows, that classroom needed it.

**Hinata**

Hinata's one and only life-changing moment with Kasumi happened when they were eleven.

It was after a training session with her father and Hanabi and she had lost track of how many bruises she had. She stumbled into the classroom stiffly, biting her lip, and hoping no one noticed how hurt she was.

To her relief, no one did. At least not until after class.

Hinata was packing up her bags when a pale, elegant hand placed a tub of healing cream on her desk.

Startled, she looked up to see her quiet, unobtrusive classmate, Kasumi.

"K-k-kasumi-chan?" Hinata stuttered in confusion.

Kasumi gazed at her with deep brown eyes. "You should take better care of yourself, Hinata-san."

And with that, she turned around and walked away. Hinata stared after her.

Kasumi never did anything like that again, but sometimes when Hinata was absent, she would bring Hinata her homework. Pick up her books for her if she dropped them. Acts of kindness. Small acts of kindness, yes, but no less insignificant.

They became friends of a sort, though Kasumi never did spend as much time with Hinata as she did with Shikamaru and Choji. And she didn't tell Hinata her secrets: they never shared information on boys and clothes and fashion like the other girls did.

It didn't matter to the Hyuuga Heiress. Kasumi was Kasumi and if she could accept Hinata's painfully low self-confidence and stuttering, then Hinata could accept her secrecy and the sometimes too distant look in her eyes.

**Kiba**

Kiba and Kasumi never particularly interacted with each other. Sure, Kiba was friends with Shino and Hinata and Kasumi was friends with Shino and Hinata, but they weren't friends with each other.

Kasumi considered Kiba too loud and obnoxious and Kiba didn't like the shadows that surrounded her. But they both cared about their friends and as such, had a truce of sorts. They would tolerate each other. And they did.

**Ino**

Like Kiba, Ino and Kasumi were more acquaintances than anything. Very reluctant acquaintances.

Unlike Ami, Ino was confident enough in her own looks to not be jealous of her classmate's delicate but elegant looks. Her being Shikamaru and Choji's constant companion didn't bother Ino either. Yes, her Sasuke-kun did sit next to her at times, but Ino was the daughter of a master interrogator and she knew it was completely platonic. So, Ino didn't blame Kasumi for that either. Ino was neutral on the topic of Kasumi, something quite rare for the exuberant blonde.

Kasumi simply did not care. Ino was Shikamaru and Choji's childhood friend and while she _was_ sometimes annoyed by her loud proclamations to 'Sasuke-kun', Kasumi did not like or dislike Ino. The blonde girl was there and that was really the extent of Kasumi's interest in her.

So, at times, they met and talked through their mutual friends, but it was always a quick, polite conversation. And then, they parted ways.

**Sakura**

Sakura did not know what to make of Kasumi. Even after being the other girl's classmate for four years, she knew next to nothing about the brown-eyed girl.

Sakura knew that Kasumi was friends with Choji, Shikamaru, and Shino. She knew that Kasumi was sorta friends with Hinata and was extremely quiet most of the time. Sakura knew that Kasumi was not interested in Sasuke-kun and that was about all she knew about her new classmate.

In contrast, Kasumi knew significantly more information on the pink-haired girl. She knew that Sakura's biggest advantage was her mind and her biggest weakness was her actual shinobi skills. Well, that and her obsession with Sasuke. She knew Sakura's family were civilians and that Sakura and Ino were once the best of friends. Kasumi knew a lot about Sakura, but then again, _her_ strongest advantage was observation.

Kasumi despaired of ever getting along with Sakura and actually keeping her alive on missions if they were ever put in the same group.

**Naruto**

Naruto's first memory of Kasumi - he was asleep when she was introduced to the class - was at the market. He was eight and he had just been tripped purposefully by a cruel merchant.

He slammed into the ground. Hard. His food - all payed at triple the price they should have been - splattered all over the ground, mixing in with the dirt.

In the distance, he could hear that snide old merchant laughing. The young boy grit his teeth and tried to get up, fighting against the tears.

A small, feminine hand offered itself to him. Stunned, he looked up to see a young girl around his age with warm brown eyes and long, almost white hair. She looked back at him steadily, her hand never wavering.

Naruto hesitated. What if this was a trap? But the small spark of hope in his heart couldn't be extinguished and he found himself grabbing that small hand.

To his surprise and growing hope, the little girl didn't snatch her hand back or do some other mean thing. She gently pulled him to his feet and started to gather his food back into his bag.

Naruto watched with wide eyes, rubbing away his tears with one childish fist. Done, the little girl handing him his bag and looked thoughtfully into his eyes.

"What's your name?" She asked, her voice soft and warm.

He stared at her, unable to think of doing anything else. "U-uzumaki Naruto."

She smiled, warm and sweet. "My name is Kasumi. Take care of yourself, Naruto-san."

And then she was moving through the crowd of people in the market and disappeared entirely, her little body swallowed up by the horde.

Little Naruto stared after her, still rubbing the tears from his eyes. 'So nice...' was his only thought.

Later, Naruto found out she was in his class. He was overjoyed of course.

Kasumi and Naruto became friends quickly. It was just that they weren't that close. Naruto had his pranks and his rivalry with Sasuke and his crush on Sakura and Kasumi simply didn't consider those two friends. Kasumi had her work and Shikamaru and Choji and Shino and Naruto liked them all, but he got along with Kiba better.

They were friends. But they weren't best friends.

That would change very, very soon.

**Sasuke**

Sasuke and Kasumi had a complicated relationship. If you could call it that.

His first impression of her was another fangirl. Practically every girl in his class was a fangirl; why would she be different? He had not been happy. Didn't he have enough? They were all useless, giggling girls.

When she had been confronted by his vicious mob of fangirls and declared to the entire class that she had absolutely no interest in Uchiha Sasuke, he had been confounded. A girl who didn't want to chase after him with shrieks that hurt his ears? His confusion had quickly been followed by relief. Finally! Someone sane that happened to belong in the female gender. He would have counted Hinata as sane, but she liked _Naruto_. Enough said.

Sasuke would have been a bit interested in who the new girl was, but then, that Man had struck. Had killed off their entire clan and destroyed the very foundations of Sasuke's life. Kasumi had been utterly wiped from his mind. Who cared about her? He had to get vengeance for his clan!

The next time he had thought about her was when he had almost bumped into her. It was 5 months after the Uchiha Massacre and the SUFA apparently thought he wanted a wife. He didn't.

He had been running onto the roof and had rounded a corner when the small brown-eyed girl appeared. Her eyes widened upon seeing him and so did his. At the last second, he served left and she served right and they managed to avoid colliding head-on.

With the cries of the fangirls _right_ behind him as motivation, Sasuke rapidly righted himself and sprinted onwards, not sparing a second to apologize to the clearly startled girl. Spotting a tree, he hurriedly climbed it and hid himself in the branches. Settling down at least, he turned to see the girl he had almost bumped into slowly join Shikamaru and Choji. The Nara heir was cloud-watching and the Akimichi heir was eating. Again.

He scoffed inwardly. Those two would obviously never amount to anything. _He_ trained when he had free time. And then he abruptly abandoned that train of thought as a dozen shrieking fangirls stormed onto the previously quiet rooftop.

Sasuke saw Choji wince and heard Shikamaru groan and mutter something that sounded suspiciously like, "Troublesome."

The girl sighed and this, at least, he could relate to. Fangirls would have been the stuff of his nightmares, if he didn't dream about blood and spinning Mangekyo eyes.

Frowning, Ino marched up to the trio. "Where's Sasuke-kun?!" She demanded, hands on hips.

Shikamaru blew out a breath and opened his eyes. His eyes briefly flickered to Sasuke's hiding spot and Sasuke tensed, cursing the lazy guy with every curse word he knew. Shikamaru was too lazy not to give up Sasuke's hding spot.

Before Shikamaru could answer, the girl with the green ribbons spoke up to everyone's surprise. "He went that way," She said, pointing to her right. The opposite direction of where Sasuke currently was.

Sasuke blinked. She was defending him? When he had almost knocked her down and didn't even apologize afterwards? What was she planning?

Ino was confused by Kasumi's answer too. It seemed too fake to be true, but why would Kasumi lie? She plainly didn't like Sasuke. "That way, Kasumi?" She repeated, gesturing to the direction the other girl was pointing to.

Oh. Right. Sasuke finally remembered who the girl was. She was that girl that had showed up a few months ago. She was also, he realized to his relief, that girl who had not shown an interest in him. Not once.

Kasumi nodded calmly. Ino frowned and glanced at Choji and Shikamaru for confirmation.

Choji grimaced, but said, "Yeah, he went that way."

Shikamaru closed his eyes, but didn't bother refuting Kasumi's lie. He wanted the girls gone from their rooftop too.

Ino hesitated, but went along with it. She couldn't exactly accuse all three of them of lying. Within three minutes, all of the fangirls were gone. A wry smile quirked Kasumi's lips and she looked up at Sasuke's tree. "You can come down now, Sasuke-san."

Sasuke hesitated, but the tree was really uncomfortable and what was the harm? He jumped down, making a note that he should practice his landings more when the impact hurt his legs. Out of pure curiosity, he walked over to Kasumi. "Why did you lie for me?"

She tilted her head to the side, both of them well aware Choji and Shikamaru were closely watching their exchange. "Would you prefer me not lying next time?"

Sasuke shuddered despite himself. "No. But I want to know why."

Kasumi considered. Decided, "I wouldn't wish that many fangirls on my worst enemy."

"Oh." Sasuke faltered, not sure what to do now. If he left, his fangirls would catch him, no doubt. He wasn't sure he would survive an encounter like that. But if he stayed...

"Tomato?" Kasumi offered, holding off the juicy, red fruit that just happened to be Sasuke's favorite.

Sasuke ended up staying. For years afterward, he would wonder suspiciously if the girl had known his favorite food was tomato. At that time, he had thought there had been no way. As time had passed and he became more familiar with her, the likelihood increased steadily to his discomfort.

That encounter did, by no means, make them friends. But sometimes, when the fangirls grew too loud and obnoxious and terrifying, Sasuke found himself sitting next to the quiet girl. Each time, she would glance up from whatever book she happened to be reading at the time - and she was _always_ reading - accept his presence easily, and give him a greeting nod or a small smile.

They spent those days in silence and it was a wonderful, relaxing retreat from the shrill voices of the SUFA. The fangirls were always too wary of the girl to try and intrude on her space, especially since Shino normally sat on her other side. Sasuke didn't mind the Aburame boy; he was quiet enough that he could forget that he existed.

At twelve years old, Sasuke normally focused on his training, but when he did ponder the strange girl, he couldn't make up his mind about her. Kasumi was tranquil and collected, but she was no pushover. She was one of the kindest people he knew, yet her eyes are the most like his in their innocent classroom. Maybe even harder and colder.

Sasuke didn't ask because it was not his business, but he was not stupid: Kasumi hide secrets behind her placid exterior.

Now, she was his new teammate. Inwardly, he was jumping up and down in celebration. He didn't get a damn fangirl! Out of all of his classmates, Sasuke thought that she was the one he probably would be able to tolerate the most. Naruto...was Naruto. She was not as strong as Sasuke was, naturally, but she was not weak like the rest of the girls in his class. She was not a dobe and a fangirl moreover and that is really all he could ask.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder if her secrets will remain secrets for long.

**Decisions**

The silence was broken by Naruto, as usual, who jumped up and pumped both fists into the air. "Yatta! Kasumi-chan is going to be on my team!"

Sasuke scoffed and turned back to face the front.

"But, wait!" Naruto scowled and suddenly pointed a finger at Sasuke. "Iruka-sensei! Why does an outstanding Ninja like me have to be on the same team as that bum?!"

Iruka's eye twitched and he put his hands on his hips. "Sasuke's grades were first among all 27 graduates...Naruto...you were deadlast...We have to do this to balance the teams, understand?"

"Bah." Sasuke said. "Just don't get in my way...deadlast..."

Naruto gritted his teeth, starting to shake in anger. "What did you call me?!"

"Give it a rest, Naruto!" Sakura, who had been sulking at not being on the same team with her Sasuke-kun, blew up.

Iruka sighed. 'Well...this should work out...Even with Naruto...' He thought to himself as he watched Sakura launch a painful-looking attack on Naruto.

In the back, Kasumi sighed. "Shikamaru?"

He cracked open an eye. "What?"

"This is so troublesome." She stated, closing her eyes in despair.

Shikamaru and Choji chuckled.

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><p><strong>Review! Please, please review! Oh and notice: my other chapter probably won't be this long...<br>**

**Thnxs to my betas!**


	2. Bingo

**Me: Naruto does not belong to mwah!**

**Naruto: Like yeah! I belong to myself, believe it!**

**Me:...so arrogant...**

**Naruto: What? That's not being arrogant! *sticks out his tongue***

**Me: You're right.**

**Naruto: Ha! **

**Me: That's being childish.**

**Naruto: ...O.O**

**Sasuke: *pops out of thin air* Dobe.**

**Naruto: What did you say?!**

**Kasumi: Now, now boys. We have a storyline to get to.**

**Naruto and Sasuke: *glares at each other***

**Kasumi: *sighs***

**Hinata18809: Thank you, thank you, thank you for being to first to review! Hope it doesn't disappoint~**

**Rosy Fire: Probably because Sasuke had been a bit of a jerk. But don't worry! We'll get him on the straight and true path even if we have to kill him! Wait. It's probably not a good idea to kill one of the main characters...**

**Anyways, thanks for reviewing!**

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><p><strong>Late<strong>

Naruto peeked out the doorway, eyes squinted.

Sasuke's 'cool' position on his desk hadn't changed and Kasumi turned a page in the book she had procured out of nowhere nonchalantly.

"Why is our Team 7 sensei," Naruto demanded, looking back at them, "so damn late?!"

"I've heard that most successful ninjas have some quirk or two..." Kasumi speculated, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I guess it's just our luck that we ended up with a sensei that's late. Hopefully, it isn't a habit."

She had no idea how right she was.

A noise caught her attention and she looked up. Blinked. "Naruto-san...what are you doing?" She asked, slowly. He wouldn't...

Sasuke glanced over and blinked as well.

"Hi hi hi hi," Naruto giggled mischievously as he reached up to jam an eraser into the door. He hopped off the chair, "That's what you get for being late!"

He would.

Kasumi sweatdropped and shook her head, but didn't bother scolding him. She had the feeling he wouldn't listen anyways. When it came to pranks, Naruto was as stubborn as a mule.

Sasuke scoffed. "Like a Jounin would fall for such a stupid booty trap."

A hand pulled at the door and all three of them went silent, holding their breaths in anticipation.

A tall man with silver, gravity defying hair stepped through the door and the eraser fell right on his hair, releasing a cloud of chalk dust to his 'surprise'.

Perfect hit. Err...prank.

"Whahahahaha," Naruto laughed, pointing at him. "You fell for it, you fell for it!"

'Is this really a Jounin?' Sasuke thought incredulously. 'He doesn't seem very reliable...'

Meanwhile, Kasumi frowned a bit after she had gotten over her shock. 'I think I've seen a picture of that man somewhere...' And that meant he was someone important. Well, she was on a team with Sasuke and Naruto. She grimaced, her shoulders slumping slightly. She had expected her genin years to be relaxing, but somehow, she was doubting it.

"Hmmm...How can I say this...?" Kakashi contemplated, rubbing his chin. "My first impression is...I don't like you guys."

"..."

"..."

"..."

**Introductions**

"Well, let's begin with introducing yourselves." Their sensei said cheerfully.

"...what would you like to know?" Kasumi asked politely, sitting in the middle of Sasuke and Naruto. She _had_ purposefully chosen that spot so there would hopefully be less hostility. She had her doubts as to whether it would work; their 'friendly' rivalry was a thing to behold.

"How about your likes, dislikes...yours dreams for the future and things like that." He shrugged.

"You first, sensei." Kasumi nodded at him.

"Yeah, who don't you introduce yourself to us first?!" Naruto snapped, rather abrasively. She withheld a wince, already foreseeing the headache she was going to be having when she got to the task of teaching the blonde manners. Which he would have to learn, of course, if he wanted to survive her brother.

Troublesome, indeed.

"Oh...me? Well...my name is Hatake Kakashi...I have no desire to tell you my likes and dislikes...Dreams for the future...hmmm...And I have lots of hobbies." He managed to keep a straight face.

'...all he told us...was his name.' Naruto and Sasuke thought, deadpanning.

Kasumi narrowed her eyes, having blocked out everything after hearing his name. 'That's it, I _know_ I've heard that name before!' Now, she just had to figure out where. Easier said than done.

"Well, it's your turn, let's start off on the right," He gestured to Naruto.

"Yosh! My name is Uzumaki Naruto, what I like is cup ramen, what I like even more is when Iruka-sensei pays for my ramen, what I dislike is waiting 3 minutes for the ramen to cook..." Naruto grinned sunnily. "And my dream..

'Does he only think about ramen?' Kakashi thought to himself.

"...is to surpass the Hokage and then have the people of this village acknowledge my existence." Pure determination shone in his blue eyes.

Kakashi's eye widened. 'He's grown in an interesting way.'

Kasumi tilted her head thoughtfully. 'So...he really is the...'

"Hobbies...pranks, I guess." Naruto finished lamely.

'I see.' Kakashi scratched at his hair. "Next." He directed his attention to his only female student. 'She's the one from that clan..' He also noticed that both Naruto _and _Sasuke quickly focused all of their attention on her. 'Interesting...both of the boys seem really curious about her... Do they not know anything about her?'

"My name is Kasumi," She stated quietly, not bothering to offer a family name. "I like shogi. I dislike selfish people and cowards. My hobbies are reading and training. And my dream is to become a member of the intelligence division."

'Intelligence division, huh? At least she's not a fangirl.' Kakashi reflected.

'Kasumi-chan is so awesome...' Naruto thought in awe.

'Not bad...' Sasuke admitted grudgingly. Certainly better than one of the SUFA. He shuddered inwardly at the thought of the screeching banshees. To make it even worse, they were as worthless and weak as they were persistent and logic-defying.

"Okay and finally the broody one." Kakashi gestured to the Uchiha.

Sasuke shot a glare at him in response to the nickname that was happily ignored. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are lots of thing I dislike and I don't really like anything and...I can't really call it a dream...but I have an ambition. The resurrection of my clan and to kill a man."

'He better not mean me...' Naruto sweated.

'...not again! Why can't they just-' Kasumi pushed down the flare of anger and distress and discretely took deep breaths. In, out. In, out. 'Don't think about it, don't think of it, don't think about it...'

'Like I thought...' Kakashi sighed.

"OK! So far for the introductions, tomorrow we'll start our duties as shinobi." Kakashi announced carefreely.

"Yeah! What kind of duties?!" Naruto saluted in excitement. "Duties! Duties!"

"First, we are going to do something with just the four of us..."

"What is it? What is it?" Naruto was going to jump out of his skin if he kept on doing that, Kasumi thought absently.

"Survival training." He replied bluntly.

"Survival training...?" Naruto repeated.

"..." Kasumi and Sasuke kept quiet. Sasuke because it was habit, Kasumi because she preferred to listen rather than question.

"This won't being a normal training like the ones you had in the Academy." Kakashi explained. "This time, I'll be your opponent."

'...that's impossible.' Kasumi thought candidly. 'No three genins would ever be able to defeat a Jounin. Especially not ones fresh out of the Academy.' The brown-eyed girl despised those who could not face reality and was well aware of her own limitations.

"Then! Then! What is it?" Naruto was confused. Hilariously so.

"He he he," Kakashi lowered his head, laughing in a rather disturbing fashion.

'...Oh dear.' Kasumi furrowed her brow. 'That's classically not a good sign.' It spoke of either a master evil plan or mental instability. She wasn't sure which one she wanted.

"What's so funny?" Naruto scowled.

"Uhm...well...it's just that what I tell you this, you guys are totally going to freak out." He eye-smiled happily.

"Freak out? Ha?" Naruto squinted.

"Of the 27 graduates, only 9 will be chosen to become genin. The rest will be sent back to the Academy. This training is a very difficult exam with a failure rate of over 66%." Kakashi gave them a creepy stare.

Naruto's eyes bulged out and his jaw dropped.

A bead of sweat rolled down Sasuke's cheek.

"Ha ha!" Kakashi laughed. "I knew you would freak out!"

But...Kasumi..."Only 66%?" She responded skeptically, not in the least frightened.

Both of her teammates whirled around to stare at her, 'Is she really not scared?'

The scarecrow stopped laughing to look intently at the girl. 'Why isn't she...ah. Right, she's from that place...'

"Yup! 66%" He eye-smiled at her.

"Oh. Alright, then." And she shrugged and leaned back against the steps. She had faith in her skills and abilities.

Naruto wasn't that unconcerned. "What? No way! But we worked so hard...what was the point of graduating?"

"Oh...that? That was just to select those who have a change at becoming genin." Kakashi replied casually.

"uhh...What?!" Naruto shouted.

"...Anyway, tomorrow you have to show your real skills on the training ground. Bring all the shinobi tools you have..oh..and I suggest you skip breakfast, you might throw up."

Naruto was shaking, Kasumi noticed sympathetically. She supposed she should be frightened as well, but this really was _nothing_ compared to her home hidden village.

"The details are on this paper and don't be late tomorrow!" Kakashi handed them each a piece of paper and a Ja ne! and was gone.

"..."

"..."

"..."

They stared after him blankly. The silence was broken when Sasuke hmphed and got up to leave.

"Sasuke-san, wait." Kasumi called out. Sasuke paused to give her a cold look. She smiled sweetly back, not disturbed at all. "How would you like some information on our new sensei before tomorrow's test?"

He narrowed his dark eyes.

**Persuasion**

"Ehh? You want to know stuff about Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto scratched his head in confusion.

Kasumi had led the three to a calming park a few minutes away from the bustling streets. Somehow, she had gotten the three of them to sit in a circle as well.

She nodded. "If we're going to be participating in a fight against him tomorrow, it's best if we know as much about him as we can."

"But, Kasumi-chan! Why?! It'll be the same anyways!" Naruto whined. He would much rather be training or counting his tools right now! Reluctantly, Sasuke was in agreement, not that he would admit it.

The girl smiled patiently at him. After all these years, she knew how to handle the hyperactive boy. "It does make a difference, Naruto-san. Say you're faced with an opponent. What would you do?"

"Attack him!" Naruto replied immediately, mimicking throwing a punch.

Kasumi nodded approvingly. "Yes, but what if you knew that his dominant side was his right side and not his left?"

"...I would attack him from the left." Naruto said slowly, a light bulb flaring over his head.

She smiled coyly. "So you see, information does make a difference."

"Yosh!" Without warning, Naruto enthusiastically pumped a fist in the air. "You're right! Let's figure out all Kakashi-sensei's dirty secrets!"

She sweatdropped, but decided that would be all the progress she could get today. Naruto tended to have limitations when it came to academics.

"Hn. I don't see why I have to bother. He fell for Naruto's idiotic trick." Sasuke spoke up condescendingly. Naruto bristled, but Kasumi held up a hand before he could retort.

Kasumi looked at her dark-haired teammate with genuine curiosity. "Do you really believe that, Sasuke-san?"

He frowned at her. "Why wouldn't I?"

"...you are the last Uchiha in Konoha." She pointed out shrewdly. "Even if the Hokage doesn't want favoritism, the Council would never assign you a dead-beat sensei. You _are_ the shiny toy they want to show off as soon as possible."

Naruto couldn't take it. "That's not fair! Why does he get special treatment?!"

Kasumi patted his arm in comfort. "Don't worry about it, Naruto-san. Think about it this way: as his teammates, that means we automatically get special treatment too."

Naruto thought about that, decided he liked it. He had never gotten special treatment before. Well...not the good kind.

Sasuke considered her argument for a moment. "But by that train of thought, I will definitely pass this test."

Kasumi considered that. "True." She admitted.

Sasuke smirked and got up. There was no more reason for him to stay with the worthless losers.

"But, Kasumi-chan!" Naruto protested, upset that his friend had given up without a true fight.

"It's okay, Naruto-san." She assured the blonde boy, her voice purposefully loud enough that the Uchiha walking away from them could hear. "We don't need his help. Besides, if Sasuke-san wants to spend his time as a genin with one of his fangirls, that's his choice."

Sasuke stopped dead.

Pretending not to notice, Kasumi went on, winking conspiratorially at Naruto. "After all, if we don't pass...well, he does have a lot of girls entirely willing to be put on a team with him. I'm sure they'll be ecstatic to know Sasuke Uchiha has two open spots on his team."

Sasuke twitched.

Catching on, Naruto smiled a foxy smile. "You're totally right, Kasumi-chan. They'll probably be really happy to know they can stalk him even more!"

Sasuke's eyes widened in horror. More stalking?

"And I'm sure there will be a lot of hugging." Kasumi added on slyly. "And...um, some kissing. Maybe some kidnapp-"

Sasuke whirled right around and took back his seat, glaring murderously. "What's your damn plan?!" He all but growled.

Kasumi smiled serenely.

**Bingo**

"So, it's this building?" Naruto asked.

"Mm-hm." Kasumi confirmed.

The three newly made genins were crouching on a rooftop, staring at a small inconspicuous shop suspiciously close to the Jounin Standby Station.

"This store sells is the one that sells Bingo Books." She murmured to her teammates.

"What's that again?" Naruto smiled embarrassingly.

"Hn. Dobe. She's already explained two times." Sasuke scorned.

"Why you...!" Naruto started, glaring at the Uchiha.

"Boys!" Kasumi intervened sharply, frowning at the two. "We cannot attract attention here."

"Sorry, Kasumi-chan." Naruto apologized sheepishly.

Sasuke just curled his lip and turned away.

Ignoring her teammate's behavior, Kasumi looked at Naruto. "Bingo Books are black books that contain information on powerful ninja, Naruto-san. Most of the time, they are only owned by Jounin and Anbu which is why we are not just walking into that store and buying one."

"Oh. Are we going to get into trouble for this?" He asked curiously. He wasn't scared, but wanted to know the stakes.

Sasuke, too, looked at the girl questioningly.

Kasumi considered. "Probably not. This is a shinobi village; we are expected and even encouraged to think sneakily. At the most, maybe a lecture from Kakashi-sensei or the Hokage."

"Okay!" Naruto agreed unhesitatingly.

Kasumi looked at Sasuke who scowled, but nodded.

Satisfied, the cream-haired girl went on to explain the plan. "Okay, so Naruto you're going to cause a small commotion near the shop alright? When the shop owner comes out to investigate, I'll stall him and Sasuke will slip inside. And this is why we're lucky."

"What?" Naruto scrunched his eyes in confusion.

She grinned craftily. "The shop owner's daughter happens to be one of Sasuke-san's fangirls."

Naruto gaped at her and even Sasuke seemed surprised.

"Y-you..." Naruto gasped in delight. "You're so smart, Kasumi-chan!"

"Why, thank you Naruto-san." She replied sweetly.

"You planned this from the beginning." Sasuke accused, his respect for the girl increasing despite his annoyance. "Don't need my help, my ass."

Kasumi widened her eyes in faux innocence. "I don't know what you're talking about, Sasuke-san. Everyone ready?"

Affirmatives all around.

The plan went off without a hitch to their surprise. Naruto set off a small explosion 10 feet away from the store with a flash bomb for extra security. And then he hightailed away, as he had a lot of practice doing. His prank experience certainly did help.

The store owner came out to see what the commotion was around and Kasumi 'bumped' into him, wailing that she had lost her glasses somewhere. While the man was preoccupied with helping the obviously blind girl find her glasses, Sasuke slipped into the shop. Quickly finding a bingo book, he walked to the counter where the cashier was all but ready to faint. One compliment on her hair and he was walking quickly out of the store with a bingo book in a bag. In the background, the cashier had finally fallen to the ground in a swoon.

A minute later, the blind girl 'found' her glasses - henged from a nearby rock - and happily thanked the store owner before sprinting for her 'late appointment'.

As they say: Bingo.

**Observers**

In his office, Sarutobi and Kakashi watched the scene through the Hokage's crystal orb with raised eyebrows.

"What do you think?" The Hokage asked.

"...if Kasumi can keep the two boys working together, they might just pass my test tomorrow." Kakashi admitted. "I didn't expect them to work together at all, much less be so bold."

The old man chuckled. "Yes, she is quite exceptional isn't she? A few more adjustments and some experience and Ibiki'll have a field day with her."

Kakashi hummed noncommittally. "Maybe."

**Copy Cat**

The three gathered together back at the park.

"We did it!" Naruto crowed, his grin outshining the sun.

Kasumi laughed breathlessly and even Sasuke's eyes were sparking with adrenaline. Wordlessly she held out a hand for the book and he handed it over to her.

She flipped quickly through the book and sighed. "This'll take a while," She warned.

"Eh?"

45 minutes later, both of the boys were growing restless.

"Kasumi-chan! When are you going to be done?!" Naruto complained, thudding a fist to the ground.

"Patience, Naruto-san. Patience." She said, eyes scanning the pages carefully.

He grumbled and Sasuke rolled his eyes, so neither of them caught the slight widening of Kasumi's eyes when she turned the page.

She paused. "Why don't you guys spar? It'll be good practice for tomorrow."

Normally, Sasuke would have rejected the idea outright and Naruto would have protested, but both of them were _bored_ out of their minds. So with only a small amount of insults, they got up and went over to the fields beside the park.

"No ninjutsu!" Kasumi ruled firmly. They did not need the place burned down; she did not want a jounin to show up and see a genin with an unauthorized bingo book. "Stick to taijutsu for now."

"Okay!"

"Fine."

And the two boys began to fight.

Kasumi discreetly tore a page out of the book and folded it neatly. Stuffing it into her pocket, she turned the pages until she found a familiar silver-haired jounin. Quickly reading it over, she concluded that she had been right in the Council giving the great Uchiha Sasuke a special sensei. Putting the book down with a sigh, she leaned back and studied her teammates.

Sasuke was definitely strong. She didn't like his arrogance, but conceded that he did have some claim to it. He was fast and he hit quickly. The style he used was unfamiliar to her; it was probably his clan's. His style was polished and structured.

In comparison, Naruto's taijustu was sloppy and weak. There were _a lot_ of holes in his stance and his reactions were slow. But he was unpredictable and some of the moves he used were plain genius. With some help, he could become devastating.

In no time at all, Sasuke had pinnned Naruto down and had a kunai to his throat.

"Sasuke wins." Kasumi judged flatly. "Break it up, guys."

Obligingly, Sasuke let Naruto up and the blonde glowered at him, but made no move to attack him again.

Wanting to break the tension, she called out, "Found Kakashi-sensei."

Predictably, that got their attention and snapped Naruto out of his gloom.

"Really?!" He bounded over, Sasuke following at a more sedate pace.

In response, she gestured to the book. The boys rapidly pounced on it.

As they read, Kasumi saw the confusion in Naruto's eyes and the tightening of Sasuke's jaw.

"Copy Cat Kakashi...Kakashi of the Sha-rin-gan." Naruto read slowly. "What's a sha-rin-gan?"

"Sharingan." Kasumi corrected gently. "And I think that's a question Sasuke would be able to answer correctly."

Naruto frowned and turned to look at his rival, only for a double-take at his expression. "...Teme? What the hell is wrong with you?"

Sasuke stared at the bingo book, completely bemused. "How...does Kakashi have the sharingan? He's not...apart of the clan..."

"Oi! Teme! What are you rambling on about?!" Naruto demanded loudly.

The noise seemed to snap Sasuke out if it. "The Sharingan...is a bloodline of the Uchiha clan." He explained impatiently. "Why the hell does Kakashi have it?"

"Not sure," Kasumi murmured. "But it's probably his left eye, the one covered by his forehead protector."

There was a brief silence.

"There's no way we can defeat him." Kasumi said abruptly. "He's an A-class ninja with years of experience and he was originally in Anbu. If we fight him head-on, we'll be decimated in seconds."

Naruto frowned. "We can't just give up!" He argued.

"No." She rose to her feet gracefully. "We'll try anyways, of course. It's getting late and we should all get a good night's sleep. Remember to eat a good breakfast tomorrow."

"But Kakashi-sensei said we shouldn't!" Naruto recalled.

"No, he suggested we not. How do you expect to fight against a jounin on a hungry stomach?" Kasumi inquired pointedly.

"Oh, right...wait! That bastard purposefully set us up to fail!" Naruto ranted, jumping up in anger.

Sasuke furrowed his brow, annoyed at the deception as well.

Kasumi shook her head. "See you guys tomorrow morning." With one last smile, she turned to go home, scooping up the bingo book in the process.

"Yeah! See you Kasumi-chan!" Naruto waved cheerfully

"Hn." Sasuke was already walking away.

Kasumi sighed. Was it possible for this team to get more dysfunctional? Probably.

**Impossible  
><strong>

Kasumi opened the door to her home quietly. "I'm home." She called out softly.

"Kasumi-chan!" In a flash, her older brother, Hiroshi, was at the door, pulling her into an affectionate hug. "How did your first day as a genin go?"

She smiled, returning the hug. "A bit exasperatingly, to be honest."

"Oh?" He pulled back, ruffled her hair, and dragged her to the dining room. "I made dinner, by the way."

"Thanks, onii-san." She sat down tiredly. "I got Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke on my team with our sensei as Hatake Kakashi."

Hiroshi stared at her. One. Two. Three. He broke down, laughing helplessly until he was pounding his fist on the ground. Kasumi waited him out, an irk mark appearing on her forehead.

"It isn't that funny, onii-san." She said, irritated. If anything, this only made him laugh harder.

Finally, he pulled himself together, wiping away some tears off with his thumb. "Sorry, Kasumi-chan." He got out, still chuckling. "It's just...that team sounds so...impossible."

Kasumi glared at him. "I'm on that team!"

"I know, I know, honey." Snickering under his breath, he placed the plates on the table. "I'm sure it'll work out...somehow."

She sighed in resignation and started to eat her dinner. Still, her brother was a jounin..."Do you know anything about Kakashi-sensei, onii-san?"

Hiroshi paused thoughtfully. "Not really. But...I have heard that he's never passed a team before."

Kasumi groaned and let her head thump on the table. Wonderful. This would turn out _so_ well.

**Obsession**

Later that night, as she was getting ready to go to sleep, Kasumi slipped out the page of the Bingo Book she had ripped out.

She stared at it for a moment and then reached for a match. Lighting it with a crackle, she placed the paper in the sink and lit it on fire.

Silently, Kasumi watched it burn until there was nothing left.

I may not be able to stop him, she thought fiercely. But I won't encourage his obsession.

Decisively, she turned on the faucet and let the ashes of the page on Uchiha Itachi flow down the drain.

* * *

><p><strong>Review! Please, please, please review! Reviews are my soul-food! I need them!<br>**

**Ah and does anyone want to be my beta for the story? All my betas are in hibernation right now. I think school and work is just burying them somewhere. Please PM if you are willing!  
><strong>


	3. Test

**Me: Hiya everybody!**

**Sasuke:...**

**Naruto: Get on with it, author! I need to become Hokage! Believe it!**

**Kasumi:...Author-chan does not own Naruto. There. Now, story line please.**

**Me: *sobs* Everyone's so mean to me...**

**Hinata18809: Thank you! I'll try!**

**Myki Fri: Why, thank you! Hope I don't disappoint!**

**The Ninja from Yesterday: XD**

**Guest: I am so sorry for the mistake! I didn't mean to insult the Japanese language or anything. I've already corrected it and again, forgive me!**

* * *

><p><strong>Preparations<strong>

Kasumi walked slowly up the hill they were supposed to be meeting at, spotting Sasuke and Naruto arriving at the same time she did.

"Good morning." She greeted softly, eyelids heavy.

"Hey..." Naruto trailed off with a yawn.

Sasuke said nothing to nobody's surprise.

"Everyone eat breakfast?" Kasumi sat down on the grass, grateful for a chance to rest. Getting up at 4:30 AM was not her idea of a good start to the day. She liked her beauty sleep, thank you very much.

"Yup! Ramen..." Naruto drooled, his inner chibi dancing around with bowls of ramen.

"Hn. Tomatos." Sasuke said blandly.

Kasumi sweatdropped a bit, but let it go. "Alright. I suppose we should become more familiar with each other's fighting styles if we're to pass this test." She covered a yawn.

Naruto blinked sleepily and Sasuke frowned minutely.

"Fighting..style..?" Naruto repeated.

"Mhm. Like jutsus or ways of combat." She explained, surprised they didn't know. Had no one ever told them? Then again, her private education had been rather...unorthodox.

"Oh." A pause. "Okay."

Kasumi looked at Sasuke questioningly and he grunted. She took that to mean affirmative.

"I've go first then." She leaned back against her pack. "I know several jutsus. Proficient at academy jutsus and taijutsu. I do know some genjutsu, but using it in combat is beyond my skill right now."

Naruto stared at her in awe and Sasuke stared at her with narrowed eyes.

"Kasumi-chan, that's so awesome!" Naruto gaped, eyes wide.

Kasumi smiled languidly in response and gestured for Naruto to go.

"Ah. I'm sorta good at taijutsu, but my genjutsu sucks." The blonde admitted, scratching his head sheepishly before visibly brightening. "But I do know a really cool jutsu!"

"Hn. Like you could do a decent jutsu, dobe." Sasuke said snidely.

"Shut up! I can too do an awesome jutsu!" Naruto declared, jumping out to point a determined finger towards the indifferent Uchiha.

"Calm down, you two." Kasumi intercepted lazily. It was too damn early for this. "What jutsu can you do, Naruto-san?"

He grinned smugly. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Her eyes widened almost imperceptibly. "Oh?" Since when had this development occured? And why hadn't she known? Was this how Naruto had passed the graduation exam?

"Yeah!" He gave her an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

She hummed thoughtfully. "How many can you do, Naruto-san?" She knew the basics of a clone technique, but her brother had once explained shadow clone to her...

"Eeh? I don't know." Really? It should have been easy enough to count, he was just a genin after all. "Maybe...four hundred?"

...four...hundred...?

"You made several HUNDRED?!" Kasumi demanded, bolting upright in shock. How the hell was he not dead or a vegetable?!

Naruto looked curiously at her, not understanding what the problem was. Sasuke frowned. He didn't get what the problem was either, but it was the first time he had seen the girl so rattled.

"Yeah. Something wrong, Kasumi-chan?" Naruto asked, eyes wide and concerned.

Kasumi shook her head and closed her eyes, leaning back against her pack once more to better absorb the information. God, she had known Naruto had an immense amount of chakra, but to create _that_ many shadow clones? He must have jounin reserves, she thought in dawning understanding. Maybe even Kages. Although since he was _that_, maybe it was expected...

She took a moment to consider that, before forcibly shoving her shock into a dark corner. Okay. Okay, she could use this to her advantage. Her mind spun, calculating the advantages and disadvantages of Naruto's vast amount of chakra. He could be a jutsu powerhouse, but chakra control...would be a large issue. Best to get started early. He would not suffer from chakra exhaustion easily, but would most likely have trouble with the limits of his physical body...

When Kasumi opened her eyes again, both of her teammates were staring at her. Naruto was worried, a little upset that whatever he had said might have upset her. Sasuke was eying her shrewdly. Assessing her reaction and knowledge, she assumed. She didn't mind; she did the same thing herself all the time. It was just that no one realized it.

"I'm okay, Naruto-san. It just surprised me that's all," She reassured the blonde. "You're turn, Sasuke-san."

The Ice Prince frowned, but said, "I'm good at taijutsu. I know how to release genjutsu, but I don't know any. I am well-versed in the academy jutsus and I can use the Great Fireball Technique."

Kasumi raised an eyebrow. "Impressive. That'll be useful later on."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, not sure whether to be smug at her compliment or suspicious of her following sentence. "Useful?"

She nodded. "I know the Wind Release: Great Breakthrough. If we were to use that in conjunction..."

"It would become a much stronger attack." Sasuke realized, eyes widening. Wind and Fire was an _explosive_ combination to say the least.

Kasumi smiled secretively. "Useful, no?"

He smirked.

Naruto looked from Sasuke to Kasumi and back to Sasuke. "Eeeh? What are you two talking about?"

"Hn. Dobe."

"What'd you say, teme?!"

**Tired**

"How are you not tired?" Kasumi asked some time later.

She was lying on the ground, conveniently using her pack as a pillow. Next to her, Naruto was completely asleep. Sasuke, however, was still standing like he had been since the beginning.

He looked down at her, both physically and metaphorically. "Maybe I'm just stronger than you." His tone indicated there was no maybe about it.

She laughed and it was the last thing he expected her to do. Kasumi had a silvery laugh, all airy and light. Sasuke couldn't decide whether he liked it or not.

**Arrival**

"Hey, guys! Good morning!" Kakashi raised a hand.

"You're late!" Naruto screamed, Kasumi deadpanned and Sasuke glared.

Kakashi laughed nervously and rubbed his neck. "Oh sorry." He pointed to his right. "A black cat crossed by path so..."

Three glares were aimed at him. One was furious, the other was frustrated, and the last was annoyed. He sweatdropped. "Anyways..."

He set an alarm clock on a tree stump and set it. "Ok, it's set for noon."

Kasumi blinked. What was going on?

"Here are two bells," He held them up. "Your task is take these from me before the time's up. Those who don't have a bell by noon, get's no lunch. I'll not only tie you to one of those stumps, but I'll also eat right in front of you."

The glances the three exchanged were those of pure relief. 'So glad I eat breakfast today,' they each thought. No one liked fighting hungry.

"You only have to get one bell. There are only two, so one of you will definitely be tied to the stump. And..the person who doesn't take a bell fails, so at least one of you will be sent back to the Academy."

Naruto's eyes widened.

Kasumi frowned.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"If you want to use kunai and shuriken, you can." Kakashi went on. "You won't succeed unless you're coming at me with the intent to kill."

"I see." Kasumi muttered softly, mind already spinning. They would never be able to hurt their sensei...but distraction was always a possibility.

Naruto opened his mouth, but closed it again, obviously remembering the information they had read on Kakashi yesterday.

"Everybody ready?" Kakashi eye-smiled at them.

Kasumi gently nudged her teammates. "Naruto, when he says start, create some clones to distract him, then come find me. Sasuke, meet me and Naruto at that clearing at 5 o'clock." She murmured lowly. Kakashi could probably still hear them, but that didn't really matter. The heart of the matter wasn't combat skills.

She could tell from the boys' faces that they didn't like the orders, but they nodded. Probably because the words A-class ninja and ex-anbu and jounin were floating around in their heads and they had no other plans.

"Ready...START!" Kakashi called out.

In seconds, Naruto had around 40 clones attacking Kakashi and the three genin had already leapt away.

**Plan**

"Alright, we need a plan and a good one." Kasumi stated as soon as Naruto joined them in kneeling in a circle.

"Hn. Why are we working together? We should be competing for the bells. I will not be sent back to the Academy." Sasuke commented, eyes suspicious.

She frowned at him in exasperation. "Sasuke-san, do the words 'ex-Anbu' mean anything to you?"

Sasuke didn't answer, but his eyes showed his annoyance.

Kasumi sighed. "Kakashi-sensei is much too powerful for us to take on alone. Thankfully, all we have to do is get the bells from him and not straight out defeat him. Individually, none of us stand a chance against snagging those bells from him."

"He is so far beyond our skill level right now that I doubt we'll be able to trick him for long, but as a team, we may be able to distract him long enough to make this work. Besides...teamwork is the foundation of Konoha. Now, will you be proud and arrogant and fail this test or are you in?" Her gaze was piercing.

Sasuke scowled, but didn't argue against her logic. "Hn. I suppose you have a plan then."

She shrugged. "Something like that."

**Action**

Kakashi read his porn, languidly keeping an eyes out for his cute students. He had dispatched the clones a while ago and since then, there had been no movement from the trio whatsoever.

He had been aware Kasumi had managed to get the boys to have a gathering per se...but did it work out?

Before he could ponder some more, a bright, _loud_ voice interrupted.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted from his perch at the top of the small hill. "Prepare yourself to be defeated!"

"...Did you say something?" He casually turned a page. Where, oh where, were Kasumi and Sasuke? Had the three ducklings split up?

A vein popped out from the blonde's forehead. "You asked for it!"

Naruto charged down the hill, creating multiple shadow clones as he did so.

Kakashi sighed and dodged a punch smoothly, dispelling a clone to his left.

Dodge. Kick. Dispel.

"You aren't going to get the best of me!" One Naruto yelled from behind.

Dodge. Dodge. Punch. Kick. Dispel x2.

"Take this!" Several shuriken came flying.

Dodge. Kick. Snap. Dispel x5.

A Naruto charged at him, aiming a kick right at his head. Kakashi lazily dodged it, only to be surprised with a punch that sent him flying back several feet.

His eyes widened. Naruto didn't, couldn't do that. He wasn't fast enough.

'Naruto' put brought his hands together.

Tiger. Ram. Monkey. Boar. Horse. Tiger.

"Fire Release: Grand Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke yelled, letting his henge dispel. A massive fireball formed from his mouth to roar right at him.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, inhaling sharply. Talented, talented...

He performed a seal-less replacement jutsu and ended up on the other side of the field.

The Narutos and Sasuke faced him determinedly. Kakashi surveyed them with some approval and interest. Good, good. They were working together. But where was Kausmi-chan...? He was fairly certain she had been the one who came up with the plan.

"Charge!" One Naruto declared and all his cute little students ran straight at him. Somewhere in the process, Sasuke disappeared again.

Kakashi's approval grew just a little bit more.

Sighing tragically, he put his little book away. It wouldn't do to be caught off guard again.

Ducking low, he effortlessly began to destroy the clones, all the while keeping an eye out for Sasuke and Kasumi.

"Hah!" Another Naruto came at him from behind and he absently lashed out with a kick. An attacking Naruto in front of him suddenly backed off and began making hand signs again.

Kakashi frowned. Did they really expect for him to fall for that again? He punched Sasuke straight in the face...

And was met with a bloom of smoke. His eyes widened. What?! A ruse?!

"Fire Release: Grand Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke called out from behind him.

Shit! He spun around, but to his surprise, a Naruto near the back was doing handseals too. Different ones.

Tiger. Ox. Dog. Rabbit. Snake.

Letting her henge dispel, Kasumi called out, "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" She slammed her hands in front of her, palms out, and a ferocious gale of wind blew through the clearing.

Kakashi barely had time to gape before the fire and the wind met...and suddenly the already large fireball was a congregation of flame and destruction heading straight towards him..

The inferno consumed the area where Kakashi had stood and kept going. Sweeping over several Narutos, it proceeded to devastate the nearby vegetation and start a forest fire.

"...that...was...a bit...bigger...than I thought it would be..." Several beads of sweat fell down Kasumi's face as she eyed the growing fire with dread.

Sasuke stared with the same horror and slight exasperation as the girl. "...we probably shouldn't have tested it on the field."

"No." Completely deadpan.

"Great observations, my little minions!" A cheerful voice spoke up behind them. Startled, everyone spun around to see their completely unscathed sensei eye-smiling at them. "Good thing I'm here or else you all would be in big trouble! But I applaud your efforts."

Bringing up his hands, Kakashi rapidly went through some hand seals, ignoring the tensing of his adorable students. "Water Release: Wild Water Wave." He blew out a torrent of water that quickly extinguished the fire before turning to Sasuke, Kasumi, and all the clones. "Now, where were we?"

_Briiinnnggg!_

Sasuke paled and Kasumi winced. Kakashi eye-smiled. "Ah. Nevermind then. I do believe that was the alarm."

"That's what you think, Kakashi-sensei!" A familiar exuberant voice shouted behind them.

Turning, Kakashi's eyes widened upon finding his last student standing tall and proud behind them - the effect a bit ruined by his short height - and jangling two bells from his hands, smile brighter than the sun.

**Explanation**

"Well, well, well, you all must be very proud of yourselves." Kakashi commented.

Sitting in front of the logs - none of them were tied- he was met with a cheerful grin, a sweet smile, and a smirk. Kasumi lightly jingled the bells - Naruto had given them to her as soon as they had sat down without comment - in her hands.

"So? How did you do it?" He asked casually, curious despite himself.

Both Naruto and Sasuke glanced at Kasumi who blinked innocently at Kakashi.

He narrowed his eyes. "Kasumi-chan?"

She blinked slowly, her long lashes masking her expression for a moment. When her eyes were open once again, they were calm...reflective. Grudgingly, Kakashi found himself impressed. Not many genin knew how to hide their emotions like that. They hadn't had enough time to learn control...but then again, Kasumi was hardly normal.

His entire team was positively abnormal. Good thing he wasn't normal either.

"When Naruto-san first created the clones, Sasuke and I were in the trees. While the clones attacked you, we used that as a distraction to slip down and camouflage ourselves in the crowd. The real Naruto stayed in the bushes" She explained mildly. "The first time Sasuke cast his fire jutsu was to lure you into a sense of security. When you fell for the bait, we drove you towards Naruto and he created a clone that grabbed the bells while you were distracted. He threw them to Naruto before dispelling from the fire."

Outwardly, Kakashi eye-smiled and rubbed his chin, AKA his mask. Inwardly, he raised an eyebrow. That was good-planning for a new genin team, especially with one as dysfunctional as this was supposed to be. Nice teamwork too...

"I see..." He mused. "And who came up with the plan?"

Kasumi looked at him, delicate features blank.

Naruto, smiling widely, pointed happily to his female teammate. "Kasumi-chan did! She's really smart."

Sasuke hnned but gestured reluctantly to Kasumi as well.

"Interesting." Kakashi muttered, before perking up obnoxiously. "Well, now that you have the bells, what will you do with them, Kasumi-chan?"

Sasuke and Naruto instantly tensed up, glancing at the brown-eyed girl. Cautious hope flickered on Naruto's face tempered with a lifetime of neglect. Sasuke was suspicious, onyx eyes harsh and distrusting. Both deciding. Both judging. Kakashi realized, to his surprise, that he was judging as well. Judging the younger sister of 'Tsunami' Taishi.

To her credit, Kasumi didn't hesitate. A casual flick of her hand and both Naruto and Sasuke caught a small bell.

She met Kakashi's eyes squarely.

Naruto's eyes widened in astonishment and pleasure before narrowing in determination. "No. Kasumi-chan, you came up with the plan so you should get the bell." He shoved the bell at Kasumi who frowned and pushed it back.

"No. You need to become Hokage and you did most of the work." She replied reasonably.

"That's a stupid reason. Take the bells, Kasumi-chan!" If anything, Naruto was stubborn.

"No." Unfortunately, she could be just as stubborn.

Kakashi couldn't tell who was more surprised when Sasuke grunted and held out his own bell to Kasumi: the girl, Naruto or himself.

"Much as I hate to admit it, the dobe is right. You came up with the plan. Take the bell, I don't need it." Sasuke spit out quickly.

"Yeah! See, look, Sasuke agrees with me!" Naruto shouted in triumph before pausing. "Hey! Teme, stay out of this! Kasumi-chan is taking my bell!"

"She's taking mine." Sasuke's eyebrow twitched.

Kasumi furrowed her brow. "I'm not taking anyone's bell." She said firmly.

"Yes, you are!" The boys snapped in unison, thrusting their palms in her face, before turning to glare murderously at each other.

"She's taking my bell, teme!" Naruto declared.

Sasuke snorted. "Like she'd want a dead-last's bell."

Naruto stiffened. "What did you say?!"

Pressing her lips together, Kasumi grabbed the both of the bells in a lightning-quick move and dropped it down the back of their shirts. They jumped.

"Wha - Kasumi-chan!" Naruto wailed, jumping around to try and get the bell out. "That's cold!"

Sasuke snapped his teeth together and reached back with his hand for the bell. "What the hell was that for?" He glowered, managing to successfully fish out the bell, unlike the blonde. Naruto stopped dancing to frown at her too.

Kasumi stared back at them calmly, not at all fazed. "Neither of you are going to be sent back to the Academy and that's final."

Of course, that only made them more determined to get her to accept the bells. Sasuke scowled at her and Naruto set his jaw.

Kakashi quickly cleared his throat before violence could break out. Over who got the bells, no less. And not in the usual way. "Actually, I have to say: You all pass!"

That did it. Both Sasuke and Naruto snapped their necks back to stare at him so quickly that he was a little surprised they hadn't sprained something. Kasumi blinked and looked back at him more slowly, tilting her head to the side in an absolutely adorable way.

"Wait, what?!" Naruto broke out of his shock first.

"What do you think the purpose to this test was?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto blinked, screwing up his forehead in obvious confusion. Sasuke kept quiet. Kasumi continued to look at him with those patient brown eyes specked with amber.

None of them answered.

"Well? What do you think, Kasumi-chan?" He turned to what seemed like his smartest student.

She frowned thoughtfully. "Is it...teamwork?"

"Yup!" He eye-smiled at her. "The purpose was to see whether you can forget your own interest and work together in these designated circumstances. In a team, it is the teamwork that is most important. Individual skill is needed as well, but individual play that disrupts the team can put your comrades in danger. On missions, it is essential that all the members of the team can and will work together without conflict and problems."

Kakashi began to walk towards a large stone. "Do you know what this stone is? The numerous names carved on this stone are ninjas who are recognized as heroes of the village."

The kunoichi kept quiet, her face carefully blank.

Sasuke said nothing, but Naruto...

"Hey, hey, hey, hey! I'm going to get my name on that stone! Hero! Hero! That's what I want to become!" He shouted for the world to hear.

Kasumi grimaced and shook her head.

"What?" He questioned, a slight hurt tone to his voice. "I can do it! Believe it!"

"These aren't normal heroes, Naruto." Kakashi informed him.

"Oh yeah?! Then what kind are they?" Naruto challenged rashly.

"They're K.I.A., Naruto." Kasumi said softly.

"What's that?" He asked, confused.

"Killed in Action." Sasuke explained.

"They are all heroes who died while on duty." Kakashi said coolly.

Naruto's eyes went wide and his smile fell. He turned away, face somber.

"This is a memorial." Kakashi told them. "My best friend's name is carved on here..."

He turned back to them, his eye serious. "Remember, a ninja must see underneath the underneath. Those who break the rules and codes of the ninja world are called trash, but you know what? Those who don't take care of their comrades are lower than trash."

Naruto flushed, eyes shining. 'He is so cool...'

A small smile touched Kasumi's face, even as she accessed her new sensei closely. 'Hatake Kakashi may not be so bad as a sensei after all...'

Sasuke closed his eyes briefly but took the words to heart.

"That ends the training. All of you pass!" Kakashi gave them all a big thumbs up. "Ok! Starting tomorrow, team #7 will begin its duties."

"Yay! I did it! I did it! Ninja! Ninja! Ninja!" Naruto cheered, tears in his eyes.

Sasuke smirked.

Kasumi grinned despite her misgivings of the upcoming weeks. 'Let's see how this goes.'

**Pass**

"So we all passed?" Kasumi inquired nonchalantly a few hours later, kneeling with her back turned towards the Hyuga Heiress.

Her group of friends were lazing around at their usual location and it was nearing sunset.

"H-hai." Hinata said quietly, her deft hands gently braiding the other girl's long cream-colored hair. Kasumi's hair was unbelievably light and weightless. It flew in the slightest breeze, which was why she tied it up in the first place. Hinata wove in wildflowers as she worked, the colors bright and vibrant against the neutral shade.

"Yeah. Our test was so troublesome." Shikamaru yawned. "We had to immobilize our sensei and actually do _work_."

She laughed daintily.

"Chip, Kasumi-chan?" Chouji offered.

She smiled and took it. "Thank you, Chouji-san. How was your test, Hinata? Shino?"

"W-we had t-to find K-kurenai-sensei." Hinata offered.

Kasumi blinked. "Find?"

"Yes." Shino confirmed. "Our sensei is a genjutsu user and our task was to find her. Why? Because we are meant to be a tracking team. Why? Because as a Hyuga, Hinata has superior vision, as an Inuzuka, Kiba has a superior sense of smell, and as an Aburame, my bugs can spread out and discreetly search a large area."

"I see." She murmured, too used to her friend's logical speaking patterns to be caught off guard. Kasumi looked up at the blue, blue sky. "Well, I'm happy then. None of us will have to go to the Academy."

"Tch. Yeah, but you have _Naruto_ and _Sasuke_." Shikamaru pointed out. He didn't elaborate; he didn't need to elaborate.

Hinata blushed tomato red at the mention of Naruto. Everyone pretended they didn't notice.

She made a face. "Day by day, Shikamaru-san. Day by day."

He smirked and continued to cloud watch.

**Home**

When Kasumi got home, the lights were off and the table was empty. She didn't panic; this was a normal occurrence after all.

Putting her pack in her room, she wandered over to the fridge. There, on a large note, and written in bright red ink was a note from her brother.

_Hey, Kasumi-chan!_

_I have a mission today, but don't worry! I'll be back by the end of the week._

_I heard you passed Kakashi's test! Congrats, little sister! You've done the impossible. Looks like you are Mother's daughter after all! XD_

_Good look on your D-ranks! Hahahahaha_

_Your loving brother,_

_Hiroshi_

Kasumi shook her head, smiling despite herself. Hiroshi would be Hiroshi.

As she grabbed some ingredients out of the fridge, she let out a heavy sigh. She hoped the D-ranks weren't _too _bad.

* * *

><p><em>Next Time:<em>

_"N-n-naruto-san...y-you...id-diot..." Kasumi managed to get out, gasping and coughing between the words. Thoroughly soaked, she had been unconscious when the boys had dragged her ashore and recovering from almost drowning was no easy feat._

* * *

><p><strong>Please Review! Give me the feedback! Come on! Give it to me!<strong>

**Ahh and I need a beta. I really do. Anyone available? O.O Please PM if you're interested!**

**Question: What elemental affinities should Kasumi have?**

**See you all soon~**


	4. Adjustments

**Me: Hah! You guys have to do D-ranks, you guys have to do D-ranks~**

**Team 7: *eyes twitch***

**Me: You guys have to do D-ranks, you guys have to do D-ranks~**

**Team 7: ...*bam***

**Kasumi:...so sorry. Author-chan is unavailable right now. She does not own Naruto and would like to thank all of her reviewers.**

**Hinata18809: Thank you, sweetie!**

**Rosy Fire: Thank you! I'm tryin.**

* * *

><p><strong>Oops<strong>

Sasuke arrived precisely on time to the bridge the third day to see his female teammate on the river underneath him. Literally.

Barely keeping his expression from displaying his outright shock, he stared at Kasumi who was standing right on top of the water, eyes closed and brow furrowed in concentration. She had her hands outstretched for balance and, even as he watched; a sudden shift in the water currents sent her sinking down into the depths.

Frowning with annoyance, Kasumi pooled her concentration, and pulled herself back to the surface of the stream. He could tell she was still battling the current's pull though.

Sasuke watched with a twinge of irritation and envy. Why did Kasumi know something he didn't? He had to be _strong_, damn it! And how the hell did she know how to do this anyway? Kakashi hadn't taught her, he knew that. The lazy, perverted guy had just sent them on worthless D-ranks for three whole days. Sasuke had never known that rebuilding houses was considered a mission before.

A gasp caught his attention and he didn't have to turn his head to see the dobe had arrived. Especially, when a moment later, Naruto called out, "KASUMI-CHAN! HOW ARE YOU DOING THAT?! IT'S SO COOL!"

Really loudly.

As in, Sasuke wouldn't have been surprised if people a mile away had heard him.

Kasumi's eyes snapped open in shock, her concentration, obviously, broken. Immediately, she fell into the water, letting out a small shriek. The river swept her up and began to carry her downstream and Sasuke saw to his alarm that the pressure was keeping the girl from coming up for air, much less getting out.

"Damn." He muttered, running to the other side of the bridge and leaping off. In the back of his mind, he heard Naruto's frantic call of, "Kasumi-chan!" and the sounds of the dobe following after him, but he wasn't exactly concentrating on the idiot right then and there.

Kasumi was not obsessed with him, very smart, and knew techniques that he didn't. Like hell he was going to let her drown and have her replaced with a useless fangirl on the third day of being an official team. That would be bad for his record and would speak poorly of his abilities. He especially did not need any more nightmares of blood and guilt in his sleep.

**Wet**

"N-n-Naruto-san...y-you...id-diot..." Kasumi managed to get out, gasping and coughing between the words. Thoroughly soaked, she had been unconscious when the boys dragged her ashore and recovering from almost drowning was no easy feat.

He had the grace to look guilty and sheepish. "So-sorry... Kasumi-chan." He was panting too.

"H-hmph...dobe.." Sasuke scoffed, out of breath as well.

Naruto attempted a glare, but lacked enough energy to make it truly vicious. "Sh-shut...up."

"Pl-please...wo-would...you two be... quiet?" Kasumi groaned out, turning on to her back with some effort.

The boys fell silent, deciding to obey the girl's request for once, Naruto because he was feeling guilty and Sasuke because he determined Kasumi needed time to recover.

For around 30 minutes, the trio laid in relative peace, their heartbeats and breaths gradually slowing down. It was a restful time, as the lack of noise was rare. The day was beautiful, the skies a brilliant cerulean with the sun bright and warm. In no time at all, they were dry once more.

Kasumi simply loved the quiet. The antics and arguments of her teammates were fun and entertaining, but they were also exhausting. To be with them in such a calm atmosphere was something new...and she found the calmness further endeared Sasuke and Naruto to her. They had never taken a time before to just _bond._

Naruto was uneasy with the void of silence and lack of movement, but found himself relaxing nonetheless. Neither of his teammates had unfair opinions of him and prejudices. It felt great to be with people who wouldn't look at him with fear or hatred or call him 'demon'. Sure, Sasuke was still a teme and Kasumi-chan was still a bit distant, but they were his _teammates_.

Sasuke found the serenity refreshing. He rarely took a moment to just lie down and relax. He was always training and running away from his screaming fangirls. The lack of expectations felt wonderful after the constant pressure from the Council and the 'sympathies' of the villagers who only wanted him for his clan's power and influence.

Naruto was too pure-hearted and idiotic to truly plot for power or money. In all honesty, all Naruto wanted was Sasuke's acknowledgement and he knew that. Kasumi didn't want anything at all from what he could tell and Sasuke prided himself on his intellect. To be suddenly free of all demands felt as if someone had just lifted a weight off his shoulders that he didn't even known was there. Not that he would ever admit that out loud to anyone, no matter what torture he had to undergo.

The tranquility was broken by Kasumi who sighed and pushed herself to her feet, having fully recovered... The boys looked at her curiously and she smiled wryly at them.

"Want to learn?" She asked and was abruptly pinned with two _very_ interested gazes.

**Practice**

"You have to start with tree-walking first." Kasumi explained to them softly, leading Naruto and Sasuke to some trees by the bridge.

"Tree-walking?" Sasuke repeated, skeptically. That didn't sound too hard.

"Yeah, that'll be easy!" And now he was agreeing with the dobe... Wonderful.

She smiled coyly. "There's a catch though."

He narrowed his eyes.

"What catch?" Naruto exclaimed.

Her smile widened. "You can't use your hands."

"..."

"Wait! What?!" Naruto tilted his head to the side dumbly. Sasuke refused to admit it, but he was just as confused.

"Basically, you direct a small amount of chakra to your feet. The chakra fills in the space between the bark of the tree and your shoes and you end up sticking to it. A too small amount of chakra will cause you to fall off. Too large will blast you off. When you can get to the top and stay at the top, you'll have mastered this practice." She told them and handed them two kunai. "Use this to mark your progress. I would suggest getting a running start."

"Oh. Alright! I'll master this! Believe it!" Naruto proclaimed for the world to hear, while tightly gripping his kunai.

"Hn." Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the tree.

"I'll be practicing my water-walking," She informed them, already walking back. _"Please_ don't startle me again."

And then Kasumi left the boys to the beautiful frustration that was chakra control.

**Late**

"Ohayo." Kakashi greeted as he appeared out of nowhere. Literally.

"Gah!" Kasumi lost her concentration _again _and began to fall. Sighing inwardly, she gulped in a large breath of air and prepared herself for a thoroughly cold dunk.

Before she could, a deft hand grabbed her coat and Kakashi calmly bought her to land, chuckling softly at the mingled look of annoyance and gratefulness she shot him.

"You're late!" Naruto accused at the very base of his tree, having more than a few lumps on his head. Kakashi glanced fleetingly at the trunk, noting to his amusement that the blonde had, evidently, not gotten far.

Sasuke said nothing but gave him the Uchiha Death Glare of Doom and considering that the Ice Prince hadn't gotten far either, it wasn't very effective.

"Mah, mah." He rubbed the back of his neck. "An old lady needed some help with her groceries, you see..."

"Don't lie!" Naruto shouted, pointing an accusing finger at him.

Kakashi sweatdropped slightly and hurriedly changed the subject. "Well...I see you little minions have been hard at work."

"Yeah! Cause you don't teach us anything!" Naruto's voice was obnoxiously loud.

"Hmm? What's that? You think we should take more D-rank missions today? I suppose we could do that..." Kakashi whipped out his Icha Icha book to the sounds of his students' dismay.

He smiled. Such cute little ducklings they were.

**Weeds**

"Look guys! I'm all done!"

"..." Naruto received a thoroughly disgusted look from Sasuke.

"Naruto-san?" An exasperated Kasumi sighed.

"Yeah, Kasumi-chan?" He said with a wide grin.

"...those aren't weeds."

"Eh?"

"You damn brat! How dare you pull up my hard-grown tomatoes?!" Said the outraged old woman while waving a frying pan threateningly.

"Ahh!" And Naruto went sprawling into the dirt as the frying pan crashed into his head.

"Hn. Dobe."

"Wha wa tha?!" The blonde spit out the soil, making a disgusted face. That was _awful._

**Spars**

"Ugh! Where the hell is Kakashi-sensei?!" Naruto raged at the sky in vain.

"You know he's always late, Naruto-san." Kasumi said as she turned a page in her book resignedly.

"Yeah, but it's so annoying!" Naruto complained. "He's supposed to be our sensei and actually teach us stuff!"

"Hn." To both of their surprise, that was _agreement_. From Sasuke. To Naruto. It was mind-boggling. Maybe the D-ranks were rotting the Uchiha's holier-than-thou attitude, Kasumi mused.

Kasumi raised an eyebrow and Naruto's jaw dropped open. The Uchiha graciously ignored both, giving them an arrogant look. On second thought, probably, she corrected herself quickly.

Quickly getting over her shock, Kasumi sighed and considered the matter. Reading for 2 or 3 hours every day when she could be doing something worthwhile was rather annoying. She made a point to be as productive as possible in her life. She supposed...yeah, that would probably work.

Firmly, she closed her book, the loud noise drawing the attention of her teammates.

"Kasumi-chan?" Naruto questioned, tilting his head in an adorable way.

Hiding her smile, she suggested calmly, "Why don't we spar? It'll make the time go by faster and help us grow stronger."

Naruto had no problems and Sasuke's attention had immediately been caught by the word 'stronger'.

Kasumi put her book away and led the three to the training grounds.

**Naruto vs. Kasumi**

"Last time, Naruto fought Sasuke so how about this time I fight Naruto?" Kasumi said once they were all there and had finished stretching.

Sasuke didn't reply... which was the same as an affirmative. Naruto grinned at her excitedly. "Let's go, Kasumi-chan!"

Her smile only had the slightest of edges. "You're on, Naruto-san."

And with that, Naruto put his hands together in a familiar seal and shouted, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

In a puff of smoke, a few dozen Narutos were charging at Kasumi with loud war cries. She tilted her head to the side and waited patiently.

5 feet...4 feet - the Narutos started to hesitate...3 feet - the Narutos were visibly hesitating now - ...2 feet-

A flicker of a smile and Kasumi was suddenly a blur of movement.

From the sidelines, Sasuke's eyes widened exponentially. Kasumi was damn _fast_. Faster than the dobe and maybe faster than himself. She darted through the crowd of shadow clones, twisting, kicking, punching and causing mass havoc easily. But...his eyes narrowed. She wasn't as physically strong as the and nowhere near his own strength.

His quick eyes caught some struggle when several clones tried to catch her and when one actually tried to tackle her. Kasumi had had to wrestle with that one for a bit before she managed to get a kunai out and stab it. His mind on auto-pilot, Sasuke mapped out the strength and weaknesses of the team he previously thought weak and pathetic. He noted that Kasumi needto work on her body as, physically; she wasn't quite up to par with the dobe or himself.

Despite himself, he had to admit the dobe was rather creative. Must be because of planning all those pranks, he scoffed to himself. The idiot rapidly caught on to Kasumi's weakness and the clones began trying to bombard her with sheer numbers and strength.

She narrowed her eyes and jumped straight up into the air, going up at least 15 feet to the shock of her teammates. Sasuke made a note to work on that damn tree-climbing some more. He still hadn't mastered it to his frustration.

Landing on the other side of the clearing, Kasumi decided that this strategy had to be stopped. Now.

"Get her!" One Naruto shouted, breaking the others free of their trance. With a great roar, they started to rush forward again.

Not bothering to hurry, Kasumi brought her hands together and went through several hand-seals and stopped on snake. The Narutos saw far too late to react.

"Oh shit." One muttered. The others were inclined to agree with them.

This time, Kasumi's smile was just a tad evil. "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" She called out and slammed her hands forward.

The gust of wind tore across the training field, taking all of the Narutos with it. They collided with the trees, the ground, and each other and one after another, dispelled in a burst of smoke. Finally, only one was left. The real Naruto had crashed into a tree quite harshly and was fighting off spinning stars.

Kasumi crossed the distance between them in a flash of chakra and gently placed her kunai at his throat. "My win, Naruto-san." She said gently.

He pouted but said good-naturedly, "Yield."

She let him up and he grinned at her. "You did a good job, Kasumi-chan!"

Kasumi smiled back easily. "You did as well, Naruto-san."

And then she turned to Sasuke and her smile turned challenging. "Your turn, Sasuke-san."

He smirked. Challenge accepted.

**Sasuke vs. Kasumi**

Sasuke was impulsive, but nowhere near as reckless as Naruto. So the fight between the top shinobi and top kunoichi of their year started off with the two eying each other cautiously, each waiting for the other to start the first move.

Sasuke moved first. Reaching into his pouch, he grabbed three shuriken and sent then flying with a flick of his wrist and deadly precision. Kasumi casually leaned her body to the side, dodging the flying projectiles easily.

Not that they were really meant to hit. As soon as they had left his hand, the Uchiha had been moving, crossing the field with startling speed.

Not that Kasumi had ever taken her eyes off him. When he reached her, she was ready for him.

A punch to the left and she dodged smoothly. It was followed by a vicious kick to her shoulder that she weaved under and she was on the offensive now.

She sent a hard jab to his solar plexus that he blocked and aimed a strike to his neck that he avoided. Twisting with the momentum, she almost swept him off his feet in a single move. Sasuke jumped at the last second and she took the opportunity to glance a punch off his blocking left arm.

Sasuke scowled. Kasumi wasn't very strong, but hell if she wasn't precise and vicious. She knew all the places that were vulnerable and would _hurt_. Unless he could get the chance to use his superior strength against her, close combat wasn't going to work.

He leapt back and went through rapid hand-seals. Time to see just whether or not his female teammate was bluffing when she had said she knew some good ninjustu. "Fire Release: Grand Fireball Jutsu!"

The large fireball blew straight towards the lithe girl and she frowned thoughtfully going through some hand-seals of her own.

Dragon. Tiger. Hare.

She sucked in a deep breath, calling out, "Water Release: Wild Water Wave!" A large stream of water gushed out of her mouth and met the fireball head on.

Immediately, a layer of water vapor coated the field and visibility went down to almost zero.

Naruto frowned, peering into the fog closely. Where were the teme and Kasumi-chan?

He could hear grunts and noises in the fog, but he couldn't _see_ anything!

Slowly, way too slowly in his opinion, the fog began to disperse.

"Yield?" That was the teme's voice!

Finally, the fog cleared away and Naruto's jaw dropped. His two teammates were in the middle of the field and sometime in the commotion, Sasuke had pinned down Kasumi with his own body. One hand had both of her wrists in an iron hold and he was letting most of his weight rest on her to keep her from moving. His other hand held a lethally sharp kunai to her throat.

Kasumi blinked slowly, her brown eyes staring straight into unyielding onyx ones. A pleased smile softened the brown orbs to melted milk chocolate with specks of caramel. "Yield." She agreed.

Sasuke got off her and offered his hand. He _had_ been raised as a gentleman, though he didn't bother being one most of the time.

She took it, letting him pull her to her feet. "Nice match, Sasuke-san."

He grunted and headed towards the bridge. Naruto bristled with anger at his rudeness.

Sasuke didn't trust himself right at that moment to not open his mouth and tell her she smelled like an intoxicating mix of fresh linen and warm fires in the winter. It reminded him of a home that, long ago, had been filled with happiness; a home that had been brutally torn away from him. It hurt...the memories that her scent invoked. It wasn't fair.

It just wasn't fair.

**Analysis**

"I suppose we should go over our fights now." Kasumi said as they all settled back on the bridge. She was looking down into the fast flowing water, her mind obviously elsewhere.

Sasuke lifted his eyebrow a fraction and Naruto frowned. "What do you mean, Kasumi-chan?"

"Hmm?" She looked up, her eyes distracted. "Well, go over what we did right or wrong. Strengths. Weaknesses. Areas of improvement."

Naruto pouted. "But that's boring!"

Kasumi smiled patiently, somehow maintaining a patience that Sasuke had a feeling he would never gain. "Yes, but Naruto-san, if we don't know what to improve on, how can we improve?"

Naruto thought this over, scrunching up his face in obvious concentration. He sighed and his shoulders fell. "Fine. I still don't like it though." He said decidedly.

Sasuke grunted when she looked at him and she decided to take that as a yes.

"Alright, I'll start first." Kasumi volunteered herself as Naruto was still sulking and Sasuke was...antisocial. "Naruto-san, your use of clones were good, but you may want to work on your taijustu and long-range capabilities."

Naruto nodded, eyes serious for once.

"Sasuke, your taijustu is excellent, but you may want some improvisation. Ah, and maybe some more ninjustu."

The Uchiha frowned, but accepted the criticism.

"Naruto-san?" She prompted when the blonde continued to remain lost in thought.

"Oh!" He jumped a little and rubbed the back of his neck. "Right, sorry. Umm, Kasumi-chan, you're really fast, but you're not all that strong, you know." She nodded. "Yeah and teme, you suck!"

A vein popped in Sasuke's forehead.

Kasumi sighed and rubbed at her temple. "Naruto-san, that is not proper feedback."

Naruto crossed his arms petulantly. "But it's true."

Her sigh was deeper this time. "Naruto-san..."

"Fine, fine. The teme should work on his left side. He isn't good on that side." Naruto scratched his head. Both Kasumi and Sasuke blinked.

'Maybe he isn't as idiotic as I thought...'

"I know cause that's how I got him tied up." He added.

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched and Kasumi suppressed a laugh. 'I take it back!'

"Sasuke-san?" Kasumi prompted once more.

The brooder frowned, but said, "The dobe really needs to work on his taijutsu and he needs some more ninjutsu. He's horrible at both. Kasumi, you need to work on your strength and your hand-seal speed."

She hummed softly. "Alright, thank you."

"Stupid teme," Naruto muttered under his breath.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "What did you say, dobe?"

Kasumi closed her eyes and counted slowly to ten. 'Must not lose temper, must not lose temper, must not lose temper...'

**Mystery**

"Oi, oi, what happened here?" Kakashi asked when he showed up an hour later. He looked over at the messed up training ground curiously and back to his students.

Kasumi looked wrung up. She was leaning against the railing, face drawn.

One look at the boys told him why.

They were glaring at each other, the animosity coming off them almost amusing.

Almost being the keyword.

Kakashi eye-smiled and cheerfully whipped out his orange book. "Mah, mah, there's so much tension in the air. I think we should take some more D-ranks today."

He was pinned with three glares.

Two were riddled with anger and annoyance and one filled with exasperation and exhaustion.

He smiled. Such cute little students they were.

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><p><em>Next Time: <em>

_"Oh." Naruto frowned, brow furrowing deeply in his concentration. "The hunter-nin are the dumpster people...?"_

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><p><strong>Review~<strong>

**Ah and thanks to my awesome brand new beta, Chaos Emperor Nex. **

**Question: How would you describe Kasumi-chan right now?  
><strong>


	5. Improvement

**Me: I don't own Naruto!**

**Naruto: Dattebayo!**

**Me: -_-ll What are you doing here?**

**Kasumi: Be nice now.**

**Me: Ah! And take a look at my Gemstones blog! The link's on my profile.**

**lifethroughanother'seyes: Thank you for answering and reviewing! I think you're pretty much right on the mark!**

**Hinata18809: Oh, thank you!**

**Bella-swan11: It was very good guesswork! You've given me a lot of ideas, but the romance between Sasuke and Kasumi will take a while to develop, yet. Thank you for reviewing!**

**Randomness-sama: Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it! Naruto is an awesome manga, just so you know! I missed a bit in the plot? Well, my story is structured through moments in the plot, so yes, sometimes I do miss some things in the plot. I do my best to get the important part though. Thank you for reviewing!**

**kawiikitsune2004: Well, now, that would have to depend on whether or not she studies under Tsunade. Thank you for the review, dear!**

* * *

><p><strong>Habit<strong>

It quickly became a routine. They would arrive on the bridge at the correct time and spend the first hour sparring against each other.

Kasumi and Sasuke corrected Naruto's taijutsu.

Naruto and Sasuke helped Kasumi become stronger.

Kasumi and Naruto provided Sasuke with a worthy challenge for him to pit himself against.

At lunchtime, they would get together to get ramen or barbecue or sushi. Mostly ramen though, to Sasuke and Kasumi's exasperation. Around that time, Kakashi arrived and they would spend hours doing D-ranks missions. Their sensei generally left after five in the afternoon.

After Kakashi left, Sasuke and Kasumi took over the job of stuffing a few years of Academy teachings into Naruto's thick skull. Kasumi helped Sasuke on his jutsus and he let her borrow a few of his clan's scrolls. Naruto and Sasuke nudged Kasumi into being a little more social, if only because she needed to be the peacekeeper. Around sunset, they would leave for home with only a few insults thrown in by the boys.

Small differences. Big differences.

**Fences**

"Naruto-san...what happened to your face?"

He laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck, only succeeding in getting more paint on himself. "I...accidentally...tipped some of the paint on me?"

"Hn. You're such an idiot." Sasuke commented, but it was more amused than downgrading.

"Oh yeah?" A mischievous twinkle appeared in the shorter boy's eyes and they both tensed. Both Kasumi and Sasuke were familiar with that look from their Academy days. It generally signaled an upcoming prank.

Without warning, Naruto lunged and tackled Sasuke to the ground, getting the white paint all over him in the process.

The Uchiha spluttered in outrage.

Naruto smiled smugly. "Who's the idiot now?"

Sasuke's eye twitched and right in front of the fence they were supposed to be painting, the boys started to wrestle.

Kasumi - damn being professional - laughed until she cried, even when they ended up completely demolishing the fence.

Sitting underneath a tree, Kakashi eye-smiled and casually turned a page in his orange book.

**Naruto-ese**

"Ugh!" Naruto screamed, throwing his book at the ground. "I don't get this!"

Kasumi frowned and set the weights she had been lifting on the ground. Walking over, she sat down next to Naruto. "What don't you get, Naruto-san?"

Naruto took a deep breath in and let it back out, trying to calm himself down. He didn't like bugging Kasumi-chan or even the teme because he didn't get the stupid Academy stuff, because they were trying so hard (In Sasuke's own special abrasive way) and being so patient (Mostly Kasumi), but he simply did not get the information!

"I don't know." He said miserably. "I just don't understand it!"

She nodded understandingly and picked up his abused textbook. "Alright. Don't panic now. Show me where."

Naruto took another deep breath and started to flip through the pages again.

Kasumi reached for the stopwatch on her wrist and casually focused her eyes on an incoming navy blur. As soon as Sasuke ran past her, she stopped the timer.

"Two minutes and thirty seconds." She told the panting Uchiha.

He exhaled sharply and sat down beside them, grabbing an icy water bottle.

"It's ten seconds better than yesterday." Kasumi said while he took a long sip.

"Yeah," He screwed on the top and put it back down on the grass. "But you're time is one minute and forty seconds."

There was a blatant gap.

She smiled. "And you can lift almost 25 pounds more than I can. I think that evens things out a bit."

He gave the classic Uchiha grunt, but didn't disagree.

"Found it!" Naruto declared triumphantly. He shoved the textbook over to Kasumi and Sasuke. "Here it is!" He pointed to a large text session.

"...Hunter-Nin?" Kasumi read.

"Yeah. What the hell are they?!" Naruto scowled and crossed his arms.

"Hmph. Hunter-nin are basically the shadow cleaners of a village, dobe." Sasuke said, not unkindly. By his standards, anyway. From anyone else, it would have been downright rude.

"Huh?" Naruto tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"Okay, you know what missing-nin are right?" Kasumi asked patiently.

"Yup! They're ninja that have left their village...right?" Naruto replied, somewhat uncertainty.

"Yes." Kasumi nodded, eyes dark. "They are traitors who don't return to their village; ninja that have no alliance to any village and are considered criminals."

"So consider them the trash." Sasuke picked up an with ease born of hours of teaching alongside the cream-haired girl. "The hunter-nin are the ones sent out by the hidden villages to dispose of them quietly so they don't let the secrets of the village out or become a hassle like killing innocent civilians everywhere they go."

"Oh." Naruto frowned, brow furrowing deeply in his concentration. "The hunter-nin are the dumpster people...?"

Kasumi and Sasuke exchanged a look. Good enough, they agreed wordlessly.

"Yeah." Sasuke said. "Just remember that they always kill the missing-nin as soon as they're defeated and bring the head back as proof."

Naruto gave them a blank look. "Why?"

"Uhh..." Kasumi bit her lip. "Well, you know how the dumpster people have to bring back proof to their boss to show they did their work?"

Naruto nodded.

"It's like that. The workers only bring back a form of where they went and how much trash was collected. They don't actually bring all the trash to their boss, do they?"

"Oh!" Naruto's eyes lit up with understanding. "It's like that! I get it now! Thanks Kasumi-chan. Thanks teme." Nodding to himself, he went back to reading his textbook.

Sasuke frowned as a sudden realization struck him. Horrified, he paled. Eyes wide, he turned to Kasumi and said, "_What_ does it say about me that I now know how to speak Naruto-ese?"

For a second, she stared at him blankly while Naruto's head snapped up, spluttering in indignation. And then, she threw back her head and laughed in pure delight.

Eyes wide, Naruto's mouth fell open. Sasuke wasn't much better, his eyes unconsciously tracing the elegant lines of her long, slender neck.

They had never heard her laugh like this. Oh, she had giggled and chuckled before, but this...this was different. This laughter was unrestrained, pure and _genuine_ as it had never been before. A warm and gentle laugh that quietly coiled around him in a long forgotten ease.

Kasumi looked back at him, eyes filled with happiness, a faint flush on her cheeks, and a sweet smile on her lips. For a second, the Ice Prince felt his heart stutter. "Don't worry, Sasuke-san. I'm sure you haven't lost _all _ your 'coolness'."

He glared at her, unsure if he did it because of her comment or whether he did it to regain the composure he had lost at the impact of her laughter. "You talk like I want all of my fangirls!"

"Who's to say you don't?" She retorted innocently.

Sasuke choked on air.

**Improvement**

"Kasumi-chan! Look, look!"

Drawn by Naruto's cries, Kasumi leapt off the river with a burst of chakra and walked on over to the trees.

Where she craned her neck- really craned her neck- to see her teammates.

"We did it!" Naruto crowed from the very top of his tree.

Sasuke smirked at her from the very top of his tree.

Kasumi blinked in surprise before smiling warmly. "Congratulations, you two. You have now mastered the tree-climbing exercise." And earlier than she had expected to boot. She had thought that with Naruto's outrageously massive chakra and Sasuke's stubborn pride, they would have had to practice for at least two more days. Then again, she hadn't factored their competitiveness in and that was a major factor.

Naruto cheered loudly, throwing up his hands in his excitement.

Sasuke managed a small, rare smile for the occasion.

"Now.." Her smile turned wicked. "You get to move on to the water-walking exercise." The two, with their arguing and bickering, had caused her to fall into the river countless times. Kasumi believed in a little harmless revenge.

Naruto fell silent, face paling.

Sasuke grimaced slightly.

They had both seen how that could turn out. Kasumi had ended up soaked for days before she mastered that exercise and more than once, one of them had to go and fish her out of the river before she drowned.

"Good luck~" Kasumi sang gleefully.

"You're evil." Sasuke stated.

She crackled in response.

**Sasuke-ese**

"What do you think we should do today?" Kasumi asked Sasuke one morning as they waited for Naruto to arrive. They were both leaning against the railing, but on opposite sides.

He tilted his head to the right by about two degrees. (Train, of course.)

"It's our no-training day." She reminded him, shaking her head.

When they had started to train, both of the boys had suggested training everyday with no letting up. Kasumi had first hand experience on how that would go and had immediately put her foot down. An hour of debating later - she was a _very_ effective debater - and they had all agreed that for one day of their week, they would have a no-training day.

Didn't mean the boys liked the agreement. Sasuke grunted. (We should just train anyways.)

She shook her head in exasperation. "Talk, learn, or relax?"

He lifted his right shoulder up a bit. (Don't care.)

Kasumi sighed. "Useful, Sasuke-san." Sarcasm dripped off her voice.

A corner of his mouth lifted up. (Touchy, touchy.)

Before she could respond, a bright voice interrupted them. "Hey, guys!" Naruto called, walking over.

The brown-eyed girl smiled at him. "Good morning, Naruto-san."

Sasuke inclined his head slightly. (Morning, dobe.)

"Whatcha guys talking about?" Naruto asked curiously, leaning next to Sasuke on the railing.

"What we're going to do today." She told him quietly.

"Oh, right! It's no-training day, today!" Naruto tensed in surprise. And promptly went into full-on depression mood. "That sucks..."

Sasuke half-smirked, aiming it at Kasumi. (See? The dobe agrees with me.)

She determinedly ignored him. "Talk, learn, or relax?"

"Hmm, how about we talk today?" Naruto suggested. "We've been really busy this week."

"Sure." They both look at Sasuke.

He shrugged. (Fine.)

"Alrigh-" Kasumi started.

"Hey!" Naruto cried out suddenly, staring at Sasuke. His teammates stared at him. "I just realized something!"

Sasuke lifted an eyebrow. (What?)

"Me and Kasumi-chan..." He paused for drama. "...are both fluent in Sasuke-ese!"

Kasumi blinked and Sasuke twitched.

Naruto and Kasumi looked at each other.

The Uchiha scowled. He knew what was coming next.

They started to smile.

He glared at them.

And they burst out laughing, though Kasumi was considerate enough to try and muffle it against her hand.

Sasuke did his best not to flush. He wasn't particularly successful.

**Upgrade  
><strong>

It happened during one of their training sessions. It was Sasuke versus Naruto and Kasumi and he was having some trouble.

Kasumi had quickly figured out how to exploit Naruto's ridiculous reserves of chakra and his mass shadow clones. The end result was Sasuke being tackled by an entire army of orange-clad knuckleheads while the strategist of their group did her best to send him flying into a tree with ninjutsu.

It worked out perfectly for them. What Sasuke needed was some combat experience and a challenge and he was certainly getting that. Naruto needed to practice his taijutsu and Kasumi needed to practice her ninjutsu. Win, win.

Except Sasuke was close to being overwhelmed.

"Hah! Take this, teme!" One Naruto all but shouted in his ear, drawing back a fist while the clone opposite him drew back a leg. In front of him, one prepared to slug him in the face and behind him, one aimed a kick towards his stomach.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, bending backwards to perform a handstand, kicking out with his legs. The four Narutos dispelled and he pushed himself back to his feet even as 10 more rushed at him. He went through them speedily despite his weariness, making several notes to himself about flaws in Naruto's stance that needed to be fixed.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" The familiar voice rang through the clearing and Sasuke grimaced as he rapidly anchored himself to the ground with chakra.

Currently, Kasumi was experimenting with the size and strength of her wind jutsu; trying to narrow the range and increase the strength at the same time. Unfortunately for Sasuke, it was working. When asked, he had bluntly told her that being hit by her jutsu felt like a tornado coming at him full speed. Her serene grin had been more than a tad frightening.

The gust of wind crashed into him with the force of an out of control tornado and Sasuke staggered, but held his ground. More than a few of the Narutos weren't so lucky. They were flung up into the air, crying out loudly, and eventually dispelled when slammed back down against various hard surfaces.

The jutsu churned the clearing, spinning leaves and branches and other random and strangely pointing stuff around. Sasuke scowled. He already had countless cuts and bruises on his body courtesy to the aftermath of his female teammate's brutal attack.

It was pretty damn hard for his ego to accept that he was getting beat by shrubbery of all things. Strengthening his resolve, he got to work on avoiding the annoying, and sharp, projectiles that were hurled his way. The remaining Narutos flung themselves at him once more, fists and feet slicing through the air. The fighting became mechanical after a while and he found to his surprise that it was becoming easier.

'Improvement at last, perhaps?' He thought optimistically and then paused. He had been spending way too much time with Naruto, he would never have had such a though before.

Finally it was over and Sasuke stood in the clearing by himself. There was a heartbeat of silence. Then another.

He quirked an eyebrow. "Oi. dobe. Kasumi."

Woven in with his words was an ever so slightly irritated question. Why were they stopping? He had been getting into it!

Naruto crawled out of a bush, his eyes wide with confusion. A mere second later, Kasumi dropped down from a high tree branch, her face entirely blank.

Sasuke tensed. Something was wrong. He had spent enough time with the understanding girl to know that when her face held that expression, nothing good was going to come out of it. "What is it?" He demanded immediately.

Kasumi didn't answer instantly, choosing to walk closer instead. Only a few feet away from him, she stopped and inspected his face closely, head tilted. Sasuke resisted the urge to fidget under her examination. He was used to girls checking him out, but this was different. Her brown eyes were cool, practically clinical. It was a look that made him uneasy; he was more used to her kind and patient nature.

Dimly, he was aware of Naruto joining them, but Kasumi held his eyes, all but commanded his attention. Her gaze was unrelenting, eerily penetrating.

Without warning, apparently satisfied with her observations, Kasumi gave him a small, quietly pleased smile. Not saying a word, she reached behind her to undo her headband from around her neck. His brow furrowed. What was she doing?

Slipping the symbol of her loyalty to Konohagakure off her neck, she held it in front of his eyes. Sasuke inhaled sharply, shock coursing through his veins.

Reflected in the steel in front of him, were two single-tomoe Sharingan eyes. The Uchiha Legacy.

"Congratulations, Sasuke-san." Kasumi whispered into the silence. "You've awakened your bloodline."

**Girl Power  
><strong>

"Free for all?" Kasumi suggested one afternoon. "So we can see how we've improved?"

"Yeah! This'll be awesome!" Naruto shouted with a grin, pumping one fist in the air.

"Need you ask?" Sasuke smirked at her.

She smiled slyly.

"Okay..." Kasumi said when they were all ready. "Ready...set...go!"

Immediately, Naruto leapt for Sasuke, creating a crowd of clones in the process.

Unfazed, Sasuke began the long task of dispelling each and every one. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on the point of view, the taijutsu training Naruto had been going through seemed to have been effective. His stance was less shaky and his attacks were more coordinated. Plus, his group of shadow clones no longer got in each other's way.

Didn't mean Sasuke had a hard time destroying them though. One high kick to the face sent a clone flying into his peers and dispelled five, Another punch got rid of three bunched up clones. He didn't use his Sharingan; they had all agreed that the dojutsu used up too much of his chakra and he needed to adjust to it first.

Naruto devoted all of his attention to pummeling Sasuke into the ground and Sasuke devoted all of his attention into pummeling Naruto to the ground.

Just because they weren't as antagonistic to one another as before didn't mean they weren't rivals anymore.

Neither of them paid attention to Kasumi

Said girl narrowed her eyes and smiled slowly. 'I'll make them regret that...'

Bringing up her hands, she rapidly ran through hand-seals. Having taken Sasuke's advice to heart, she had begun practicing her hand-seals every night before bed. It proved to be quite effective.

"Wind Release: Divine Wind!" She shouted, producing a gust of wind that formed several small tornadoes that tore through the training grounds and caught both of the boys by surprise. She had never used that jutsu on them before, but then again, Kasumi firmly believed that a girl should always have at least one secret trick up her sleeve and she had hammered that into them as well.

"Shit." Naruto muttered.

"Damn." Sasuke agreed.

The jutsu hit and instantly, all of the Naruto clones were dispelled and the real Sasuke and Naruto were thrown up like rag dolls to be tossed into the trees.

Before the two could recover, Kasumi was doing more hand-seals. "Water Release: Wild Water Wave!" She blew out a wave of water straight at Naruto who promptly went flying.

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke got to his feet and went through his own hand-seals. "Fire Release: Grand Fireball Jutsu!"

This time around, Kasumi didn't bother trying to counter it. She simply pushed some chakra out of her feet and launched herself up and over the attack. Landing on her feet, she tilted her head at Sasuke.

He smirked at her and crossed the distance between them in a burst of chakra.

'Taijutsu, it is then.' Kasumi thought to herself, centering herself before he reached her.

It was a fast, brutal battle that Sasuke started with a quick punch to the face. Kasumi ducked under, countering with a kick to his solar plexus that he blocked.

Sasuke was still much stronger than Kasumi, but she had gotten stronger. She was still much faster than Sasuke, but he had gotten faster.

A quick burst of punches and kicks were issued from both sides. Kasumi landed two hits on Sasuke's left side, he really needed to work on that, and he landed a hit on her stomach.

Hissing in a breath, Kasumi flipped back and sent a barrage of kunai at Sasuke. He narrowed his eyes, dodging some and whipping out his own kunai to deflect the rest.

What was she doing?

She sent a flurry of shuriken at him that he deflected. She sent some more kunai at him. He had had enough. Why was she stalling?

Narrowing his eyes, he leapt forward and snapped his foot up. It collided directly with the side of her head and he froze, staring at her in shock.

What the hell? She hadn't even tried to dodge or block and he knew damn well that she was faster than that! She wasn't too hurt, was she?

Letting out a soft cry, Kasumi slammed into the ground from the impact.

Sasuke righted himself and was turning with an are-you-okay on the tip of his tongue when a bloom of smoke filled his vision that dispelled to reveal a log. His eyes widened. Replacement Jutsu?

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" A voice called out behind him.

Right before he was blown away by a ruthless gale, Sasuke growled, "Fuck."

He tore through two trees before exhausting his momentum. Hitting the last tree head first, he slid down slowly, groaning.

Landing on the floor none too gently, he was telling his brain that 'no, trees do not grow horizontally and the clouds are not supposed to be _there_' when a kunai rested itself gently on his throat.

"Yield?" Kasumi floated into view, her eyes concerned.

He sighed in resignation. "Yield."

She smiled softly and grabbing his hand, pulled him into a sitting position against the base of the tree.

"Hold still." She said. "I think you have a concussion."

Sasuke had no intention of moving.

Quickly making hand-seals, she placed her hands together over his head. Green chakra gathered around her hands and he found himself closing his eyes as healing chakra flowed into him.

"I didn't know you know medical ninjutsu." He murmured into the silence.

"Only a little," She replied, a smile in her voice. "I'm far from a certified medic nin, I'm afraid."

Sasuke snorted. "If I recall correctly, that's not exactly your goal in life."

Kasumi laughed. "I suppose you're right."

"I thought medical ninjutsu required extreme chakra control." It was really more of a question than a statement.

She stilled for a moment before continuing. "I learned this jutsu when I was six years old. I've had a lot of times to practice it."

He frowned and would have pushed as to why a six year old would be learning complicated medical ninjutsu, but at that moment, Naruto chose to jump down from a tree and land beside them.

Sasuke opened his eyes and Kasumi glanced up for a moment before returning her focus to what she was doing. "Welcome back, Naruto-san."

Naruto took in the scene and chuckled, sitting down next to Sasuke. "Guess you beat us both, Kasumi-chan." He was smiling though.

Kasumi's own smile was a trifle smug. "If you two weren't so focused on each other, I wouldn't have stood a chance." She scolded mildly.

The blonde grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. Guess we should work on that."

Sasuke grunted in agreement.

Kasumi finished healing Sasuke a few minutes later and folded her hands in her lap. "It's getting late." She noted, looking at the sunset.

It was an impressive sight, filled with crimson red and yellow sunlight and hot pink.

Naruto hummed in agreement. "Yeah. But let's stay here for a bit longer."

And they did and it was a rare and precious time of peace.

**Team**

As time went on, little by little, Kasumi could feel the deadly cracks in her team mending. She could feel their brittle teamwork becoming better, the rival between the boys becoming more healthy. They were becoming more than a mish-mash of genins. They were becoming a _team_.

"How's Team 7?" Chouji asked one early morning, passing her a chip.

Kasumi paused in her game of shouji with Shikamaru. She thought about the start of her team, the fighting and tension and unwilling cooperation. And she thought of the friendly teasing and quiet pointers and easy camaraderie now.

She smiled. "We're getting better." Kasumi told her first friends. They smiled back at her.

**Notice**

Kakashi noticed the change in his students, of course. It was subtle but he was a jounin. He had been an ex-Anbu Captain for God's sake.

It was in the way the boys listened when Kasumi spoke. It was evident in how Naruto and Sasuke didn't give off killing intent every time they were in the same area. It was the teasing but friendly bantering that occurred between the three.

It was the brightness of Naruto's smile even in the streets where the villagers glared at him. It was the relaxed shoulders and faint respect in Sasuke's eyes. It was the light laughter of Kasumi during an argument between the boys. It was how their teamwork was fitting, like pieces to the same puzzle.

Kakashi didn't understand it, but the change was good so he didn't question it that much. If his students were getting along better, then who was he to disrupt that process?

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><p><em>Next time:<em>

_"I am the super expert bridge builder, Tazuna." The old man said bluntly. "I expect you to provide me super protection until I get back to my country and complete the bridge."_

_Kasumi sighed and placed a hand on her waist. The nagging feeling in the back of her mind was getting stronger and something was definitely wrong. How the hell had she managed to get in this much trouble in only the first few days of her genin career?_

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><p><strong>Review! Reviews are like hugs and kisses and love all in one. Give me the affection! I admit it, I need more self-confidence.<strong>

**And thanks to my beta, ChaosEmperorNex!  
><strong>

**Question: What do you think will happen in the Land of Waves arc?**


	6. Tazuna

**Me: I don't own Naruto!**

**Naruto: Of course you don't!**

**Me: That's not exactly what I meant...**

**Naruto: Huh? *scratches head***

**Me: *hangs head in gloom* Nevermind...**

**Naruto: Hmph. Check out Author-chan's blog, now!**

**Osen-san: Thank you! Hope you enjoy!  
><strong>

**lifethroughanotherseyes: Who knows...XD**

**Bella-swan11: Lolz, greetings! Kasumi is a strange, mysterious girl...**

**MylaUchiha: Okay! So happy you like!**

**Thoroughly Misguided: Thank you! I do my best! As for Sasuke...well, he's an Uchiha and they're a little oblivious when it comes to love.**

**Randomness-sama: I know the feeling! Hope you like!**

**Alaina Kuski: Thank you!**

* * *

><p><strong>Tora<strong>

"What's the distance from the target?"

"Five meters. I'm ready anytime." Sasuke said coolly.

"So am I." Kasumi sighed.

"Me too." Naruto whispered.

"...Go!"

"Gotcha!" Naruto grabbed the cat with both hands, which let out a loud, startled meow.

"Ribbon on the left ear; are you sure this is the target, Tora?" Kakashi asked lazily.

"Oww!" Naruto wrestled on the ground with the cat, getting scratch marks all over himself. Just because the blonde's taijutsu was improving at an exceptional rate didn't mean he was getting better at handling cats. Kasumi watched with an indulgent grin while Sasuke reported back with an almost fond eye-roll.

"Yeah. We're sure."

"Good; Lost Pet 'Tora' Search Mission complete!" Their sensei declared.

**C-Rank**

Kasumi watched in sickening fascination as the Fire Country Lord's Wife Madam Shijimi got her cat back. And proceeded to squeeze it as hard as she could. "Ohh, my cute little Tora-chan. I was so worried."

She wasn't sure whether to feel vengeful joy or exasperated pity for the crying cat. She decided on the joy. The thing was a menace even if it did have sufficient reason to try and escape as soon as possible.

Naruto had no such hesitations. 'Gyahaha! In your face, you stupid cat!'

Sasuke watched stoically, the smallest tinges of amusement in his obsidian eyes.

"Now...Kakashi's Team #7, your next duty is...Hmmm...babysitting an elder's grandson, shopping in the neighborhood village, and help with the potato digging." The Hokage read blandly off the list.

"NO! NO! NO! No, thank you!" Naruto resolutely crossed his arms in an X. "I want to do, you know, a more incredible mission! Find us a better one!"

'I agree...' Sasuke admitted reluctantly to himself.

'It is getting rather tedious...' Kasumi mused. She was aware that D-ranks were necessary and meant to build up a team's teamwork, but God, if it wasn't boring.

'I figured it was about time for this.' Kakashi sighed.

"You idiot! You are just a rookie!" In his agitation, Iruka bolted up from his seat to slam his hands against the desk. "Everyone starts off with the simple duties and works their way up!"

"But! But! We keep getting the crappiest duties!" Naruto protested.

Kakashi gave him a firm bop on the head. "Be quiet you!"

"Naruto! It seems I have to explain to you what these duties are all about!" The Hokage said in exasperation. "All ninjas..."

"...What are you guys going to eat tonight?" Naruto asked, plopping down on the floor and blatantly ignoring the Hokage's explanation.

"Probably some fried rice with peas and eggs." Kasumi went along with it. She _had_ paid attention in the Academy. There was no need for her to listen to this.

"I think I'm going to go out. Barbecue maybe?" Kakashi contributed, bored with the Hokage's rant. It wasn't like he didn't know the stuff.

"Hn. Tomatoes and onigiri." Sasuke added monotonously.

"Last night, I had pork ramen so miso sounds good for..." Naruto started, only to be cut off by the Sandaime who had finally noticed no one was paying attention.

"Hey! Listen!" A mark of irritation appeared on his forehead.

"I-I apologize." Kakashi said sheepishly.

Naruto wasn't anywhere near placated. "Geez! All you do is give lectures like that! But you know what?! I'm not the troublemaking brat you still think I am."

And to prove his point, he sat with his back turned towards them and his arms crossed and pouted.

Kakashi sighed. 'I'm going to get yelled at later for this...'

Shaking her head good-naturedly, Kasumi gently nudged Naruto with her foot. He gave her a pleading look. Sasuke gave him a 'you're-being-an-idiot' look that was pretty well-practiced by now. Naruto stuck his tongue out, but stopped pouting.

"Ok." The Hokage said to everyone's shock. "If you want it that much, I'll give you a C-rank mission. It's a protection mission of a certain individual."

Kasumi blinked. Just like that?

Naturally, Naruto didn't bother to question it. "Yay!"

"Who?! Who?! A feudal lord? A princess?" He shouted randomly.

Kasumi smiled in amusement. Heavens no. With how advanced her team was right now, they'd probably get Konoha in a war before sundown.

"Calm down. I'm about to introduce him." The Hokage, the kunoichi noticed uneasily, had a...twinkle in his eye. She was instantly suspicious. A nagging, itchy feeling settled in the back of her mind.

"Hey, will you come in here?" He ordered.

The door opened and a strong smell of alcohol wafted in. "What's this?"

An old man with a bottle of sake stepped into the room and Kasumi frowned as the uncomfortable feeling grew. She recognized it and knew it meant nothing good. Nevermind, that she hadn't felt it in years.

And why had the client been standing outside the door anyways? She blinked as realization hit her. The Hokage had meant to give them the mission all along! Making sure to keep a neutral expression, she observed the Sandaime through new eyes. Tricky old ninja.

Their client took a lazy swig of alcohol and said, "They're all a bunch of super brats. Especially the shortest one with the super stupid-looking face. Are you really a ninja? Hey!"

"Haha! Who's the shortest one with the stupid-looking face..." Naruto glanced around nervously.

Sasuke and Kasumi exchanged a look and, in unanimous agreement, smoothly slid in to both sides of Naruto for a quick height comparison.

First was Sasuke, unsurprisingly, and then there was Kasumi and last was...

"I'll kill you!" Naruto lunged, but before he could get far, Kakashi grabbed his jumpsuit and held him back easily.

"What's the purpose of killing the person you're supposed to protect? Idiot!" He lectured sternly.

"But, Kakashi-sensei!" He protested, squirming in the older man's grip.

"Naruto-san." Kasumi warned simply and Naruto subsided, albeit with great reluctance. He aimed a blue-eyed glare at the drunken old man who scowled at them. Sasuke smirked.

"I am the super expert bridge builder, Tazuna." The old man said bluntly. "I expect you to provide me super protection until I get back to my country and complete the bridge."

Kasumi sighed and placed a hand on her waist. The nagging feeling in the back of her mind was getting stronger and something was definitely wrong. How the hell had she managed to get in this much trouble in only the first few days of her genin career?

**Departure**

"Let's go!" Naruto shouted, throwing his hands in the air.

"Why are you so excited, Naruto-san?" Kasumi asked curiously, her mind on the empty house that had greeted her when she had went home to gather supplies.

Her older brother had been out on a mission again, A-rank this time and it was hard not to be worried - and so she had pinned a note to the table. It was habit by now. She had written that she had a C-rank mission to the Land of Waves and would, probably, not be back soon.

She had also added that she had a bad feeling about the mission and, doubtless, he would know what that meant. In their 'family', bad feelings were more like prophecies. Prophecies with bad endings.

Naruto grinned at her. "Cuz...I've never left the village before." He turned his head from side to side, taking in his surroundings.

"...Hey! Am I really going to be safe with this brat?" Tazuna demanded, pointing a finger at Naruto.

"Haha...well, I am a Jounin, so don't worry." Kakashi eye-smiled, his book not present for once.

"You really shouldn't worry." Kasumi added nonchalantly. "This is only a C-rank after all. I assure you we can handle bandits, no matter how strong they are." She twirled her finger around a stray strand of hair and kept her gaze squarely on his face.

She knew there was a reason she was feeling so uneasy and she was 99% certain it had to do with the shady bridge builder and his mission. Kasumi had never liked flying blind and that wasn't going to change now.

Both Naruto and Sasuke snapped their eyes to her, catching the edge to their usually even-tempered teammate's voice. They followed her gaze to frown at Tazuna.

The old man swallowed hard and took a swig of alcohol. A bead of sweat ran down his face and Kasumi's eyes narrowed.

Kakashi held up his hands. "Maa, maa, let's just get going for now."

"Hai, sensei." Kasumi replied compliantly.

Naruto and Sasuke's eyes flickered between Tazuna and her suspiciously. She caught the wariness and caution in Sasuke's eyes while Naruto was confused and a little worried. Kasumi considered it an improvement that the, normally oblivious, blonde had even caught on to the interaction. Maybe their lessons in observation were actually getting through.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her discreetly and she subtly shook her head. He frowned, but let it drop. Naruto squinted, but let it go as well.

"Okay! Let's start this mission!" Naruto shouted enthusiastically and started taking steps forward with a purpose.

"...Dobe, it's the other way." Sasuke told him bluntly.

Without pausing, Naruto turned right around and kept on going.

Kasumi smiled in amusement even as the nagging feeling in the back of her mind intensified. This was going to be bad.

**Attack**

Naruto walked down the road with a large smile, thoroughly enjoying the good day. The sky was blue, the sun was bright, and he was out of Konoha!

The trip so far had been pretty quiet. Kakashi-sensei was surprisingly not reading his book and the old geezer hadn't said a word. The Teme had been quiet, but that wasn't anything new.

What was surprising was that Kasumi-chan had been really quiet, too. Naruto frowned a bit, but dismissed his worries. He was sure it wasn't anything important. Maybe she was just enjoying the open air too!

Lost in thought, he didn't notice when they passed a small puddle on the road. What he did notice was the sudden tensing of his female teammate beside him. He glanced at her curiously.

Kasumi-chan's face was blank and as Naruto watched, she lightly nudged Sasuke who's eyes flickered to her questioningly. She didn't answer his question, but gently took Naruto's hand and turned to him.

Naruto's brow furrowed. What was going on? Deep brown eyes that he was used to being filled with patience and serenity were bright with warning. She squeezed his hand lightly and put it on his shuriken holster. He paled. Was someone going to attack them? What the hell was going on?

Without another word or action, Kasumi smoothly slid out between them and walked over to Tazuna. Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei dropped behind.

"Tazuna-san? What's this bridge that you're building?" Her voice was light, casual. But Naruto had been spending a lot of time with Kasumi-chan and he heard the lethal undertone in her question and this made him really, really, suspicious. And weird. He wasn't used to this side of Kasumi-chan.

"It's going to be used for importing food. The Gatou Shipping company is controlling the waters around my town and they're charging high taxes, leading to food shortage. It's why my task is so important." The drunken old geezer said and Naruto frowned. Something was going on here. He just didn't know what.

"I see-"

A rustle behind Naruto drew his attention and he spun around to see Kakashi-sensei being torn to pieces by two creepy looking dudes and their spiked chain.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

**Counter-Attack**

Naruto froze up.

Kasumi scowled and barked out, "Naruto! Clones, _now_!"

Already, Sasuke had thrown a barrage of shuriken at the chain, pinning it to some nearby trees.

Naruto, pale and shaken, automatically did the hand-seal and created several dozen clones. After training with each other for so long, he obeyed her orders without question. Kasumi considered it very useful in situations such as these.

"Long range. I don't want you anywhere near those claws." She told him firmly. Her mind was spinning, busy analzying the enemies. Had she seen them before? He nodded and sent the clones to assist Sasuke who had whipped out a kunai and firmly trapped the chain on the tree.

"Demon Brothers. Chunin. Kirigakure missing-nin. Known for poisonous attacks." Kasumi said mechanically to her teammates and quickly went through several hand-seals.

"Balance Disruption." She whispered under her breath, discreetly focusing her chakra on the two attackers.

Sasuke vaulted through the air and braced himself on the arm gauntlets to kick the missing nin in their faces. They quickly disengaged their chain and split up, only to meet up with a whole bunch of Naruto clones.

"Take this!" They shouted, throwing kicks and punches randomly. Not batting an eyelash, the two easily dispelled the most of the clones.

Kasumi made a mental note to work on Naruto's taijutsu a bit more. From the look on Sasuke's face, he agreed.

But...she could see her genjutsu was starting to take effect. The missing nin were starting to wobble, their blows losing valuable precision. More importantly, they were distracted and held in place by the Naruto clones which gave them time. And time was very important.

One glanced up at her and his eyes widened. "You-"

"Sasuke, now!" She ordered, images of mist and blood and destruction flashing through her mind. Her teammates didn't need to know.

"Got it!" Sasuke shouted back, blurring into motion.

He leaped onto one of the missing nin and before the distracted man could react, crashed the back of kunai straight on his head. He was out like a light. At that same instant, the other one broke free of the crowd of clones and headed straight at Kasumi and Tazuna.

She narrowed her eyes and waited. Dodging under the initial strike and forcing Tazuna backwards, she viciously struck a blow directly to the solar plexus. The enemy bent over, gasping for breath. She didn't hesitate in swiping her kunai over his neck.

He was dead before he hit the ground.

There was a heartbeat of silence that was broken by Tazuna running over to the bushes and throwing up.

**Reaction**

Sasuke eyed the mess critically and turned back to his teammates to gauge their response. It wasn't his first time seeing a dead body after all, but they might be different.

He completely missed how he wouldn't have bothered or even cared several weeks ago.

Naruto was obvious. The blonde was pale, his eyes wide, and he was trembling slightly. It was probably the first time the dobe had seen someone dead; much less take a part in the murder.

Kasumi was...more difficult to assess. Her face was blank, her eyes clouded as she stared at the man she had killed. He wondered whether she was just better at handling the situation than Naruto or if this wasn't the first time she had seen someone dead. Or even if this wasn't the first time she had killed someone.

"My, I must say that was quite impressive." An obnoxiously cheerful voice spoke up from behind Sasuke and he turned around to give Kakashi his best Uchiha Glare of Death. _Now_ that man chose to show up.

His sensei, utterly unscathed, beamed back at him. "Great job, Kasumi. You too, Naruto and Sasuke."

The glare Kasumi gave him was the most poisonous expression Sasuke had ever seen on her. She turned away from the dead body and walked over to Naruto to enfold him in a hug. She patted his back and Sasuke found himself walking over to stand next to them as Kakashi talked to Tazuna, who still seemed to be in shock.

"Kasumi-chan..." Naruto said slowly, his eyes glued to the dead body and filled with horror.

"It was us or them, Naruto-san." Kasumi said. Her voice was calm and steely. As steely as her unflinching eyes. "It was us or them."

Naruto set his jaw and nodded. Silently, she let go of him and turned back to Kakashi.

"What now, sensei?" She asked.

**Secrets**

"Kasumi." Sasuke muttered later, dropping back to talk to the lagging girl.

She glanced at him, her eyes clearly distracted. "Yeah?"

"What was that jutsu you used on those missing nins?" He asked curiously.

"Oh." Kasumi blinked. "A low-rank genjutsu called Balance Disruption. As you can probably guess, it affects the victim's balance, causing them to stumble and skewer their attacks. Useful but normally not fatal. Takes time to take effect and becomes increasingly stronger as time goes on."

He frowned. "You've never used it on me or the dobe before."

"No." She confirmed. "It requires too much concentration for me to use in a one on one fight without some kind of elaborate distraction. Too risky. Plus it doesn't take effect immediately."

Sasuke furrowed his brow, but accepted her explanation. It didn't stop him from speculating over how many other things she might be keeping secret though.

**Boat**

"What a thick mist! I can't see ahead." Naruto commented, peering into the distance.

Kasumi said nothing, curled up into a ball behind him. Her knees were bent and she had her arms wrapped around them, her bangs shadowing her eyes. She knew Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei had taken note of her position, could feel their questioning eyes on her, but she couldn't help it.

This place reminded her too much of her homeland. She hadn't seen such a thick fog since _that_ day.

_"Run!"_

_"Go, my darlings! We'll be right behind you."  
><em>

_"You won't get away from us!"_

She tensed and closed her eyes. No, no, no. No. Not now!

Unconsciously, her nails dug into her palms, inflicting deep grooves. A light touch to her side bought her back to reality and she opened her eyes to meet Sasuke's observant ones. Kasumi could see a hint of concern in those obsidian orbs and he tilted his head to the side by five degrees. A question.

She shook her head just as casually.

He frowned but let it go. Kasumi wondered how long he would be content with that.

If nothing else, training with the Uchiha had taught her that what Sasuke wanted, he went after with near fanaticism.

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><p><em>Next time:<br>_

_Something large and sharp ripped through the air and crashed into a tree, biting deeply into the wood, barely missing their heads. And suddenly, there was a tall, lanky man standing on top of the monstrosity of a clever. One that she, unfortunately, recognized; he was quite famous, at least to her. The Demon of the Mist._

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><p><strong>Review~<strong>

**Thanks to my beta ChaosEmperorNex!**

**Question: What's the best OC Naruto story you've ever read?**


	7. Zabuza

**Me: I do not own Naruto!**

**Naruto: Hell yeah! You don't own me!**

**Me:...that's not what I really mean, but who cares? Merry Christmas, everybody! Check out my blog~**

**BloodMoonWanes: Sakura was a bit annoying in the beginning, wasn't she? As for Kasumi's past...who knows? *wink, wink***

**Bella-swan11: It's going to take a while before Kasumi and Sasuke get that level of trust between them. No worries, Kasumi won't let her team down too much. Thanks for the review!**

**starrat: Hope I don't disappoint! Thank you, hun!**

**Guest: Thanks!**

**Sammy: Right? I've always thought that it was kinda strange; no one from Team 7 really just helps Naruto. Thanks for the review!**

**zZhell-butterflyZz: Glad to know you like it! XD**

**forever-a i n e: Hmm, I'll have to check those out sometime. My favorite would probably be Clearing Mist by shadownumera. Beautiful story. The bold words was dividers sorta just came out of nowhere and stayed. Sasuke will be Sasuke, hmm? Thanks for the awesome review!**

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><p><strong>Zabuza<strong>

By the time they got on land, Kasumi was ready to go crazy.

_Danger! Danger! Danger!_

She gritted her teeth and forced herself to squash that familiar small voice in the back of her mind. It wasn't helping her concentration. Kasumi was well aware that they were in danger and she knew, better than both of her teammates, that a wandering mind on the battlefield led to blank eyes and still hearts.

Kasumi made absolutely sure that both of her teammates were close to her, because as they got further and further inland, her danger sense stronger and stronger. They had handled themselves in their first true fight, but she did not want to lose Naruto and Sasuke through complacent folly when they were finally starting to get along. Of course, she made sure that neither her body language nor her face betrayed her state of mentality or the alarm that was rushing through her veins.

They certainly didn't notice anything.

Well...Naruto tried. "There!" He screamed, throwing a kunai into the bush.

A second later, a startled and completely terrified white rabbit leaped out and crickets sounded in the silence.

"Whoops..." Naruto rubbed the back of his head, laughing nervously.

"Hn." Sasuke deadpanned. "Dobe, be more careful!"

"Like you know anything, teme!" Naruto retorted.

"At least I'm not a dead-last." Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"Boys..." She sighed and they turned away from each other, arms crossed. She knew that they weren't really mad or irritated each other; they were high-strung and their way of dealing with it was the normal banter they engaged in. Still, Kasumi needed to concentrate and she needed them to focus as well.

Finally, her warning sense _spiked._

"Down!" She screamed, grabbing Naruto and Sasuke and pulling them down with her, trusting Kakashi to get to Tazuna.

Something large and sharp ripped through the air and crashed into a tree, biting deeply into the wood, barely missing their heads. And suddenly, there was a tall, lanky man standing on top of the monstrosity of a clever. One that she, unfortunately, recognized; he was quite famous, at least to her. The Demon of the Mist.

Kasumi got to her feet, only distantly aware of Naruto and Sasuke doing the same. She eyed the bandaged man in front of her nervously. Of course, of course they ended up facing _him_.

"Well..well...if it isn't Kirigakure's Momochi Zabuza-kun." Kakashi said casually.

Next to her, Kasumi felt Naruto tense up. She glanced at him and grimaced. He was overconfident because of their earlier victory. Ignorant because she doubted he knew who Zabuza was. Not a great combination.

Before he could spring, she grabbed some of his fingers and twisted. She didn't bother being gentle.

Naruto stuttered to a halt, his face going pale with pain. He turned on her, obviously ready to complain, but snapped his mouth shut with an audible sound when she shot him a fierce glare. His eyes went wide with surprise, she had never _ever_ been stern with him, and worry. He was starting to understand the trouble they had gotten themselves into, but slowly. Too slowly.

Beside her, Sasuke gingerly eased closer. "Who is he, Kasumi?" He asked, his voice low and tense.

The boys had long since accepted her as the one they turned to if they didn't know something. Kasumi assumed it was because she was the most book smart, had the Bingo book, and read books whenever she had free time while they...didn't.

She pressed her lips together and answered in a voice just as quiet. "Zabuza Momochi. Demon of the Hidden Mist. Missing-Nin from Kirigakure. Once a part of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Anbu level."

Sasuke paled and Naruto went stiff.

Zabuza chuckled sinisterly. "Would you look at that? One of the brats knows who I am!" He suddenly narrowed his eyes at Kasumi. "Hmm, now that I think about it, you look a bit familiar..."

Blood, fire and loving brown eyes flashed in Kasumi's mind. She bit her lip and resolutely forced the memories down.

Kakashi's demeanor didn't change but he reached for his forehead protector. "Maa. My cute little student isn't that one you should be worried about right now."

She wasn't sure whether he was redirecting the attention off of her purposely or not, but Kasumi was thankful nonetheless.

Her past was buried and buried it should and would stay.

Kasumi adamantly ignored the puzzled stares of her teammates. This didn't concern them.

**Trouble**

"Take Tazuna-san and run! You have no chance of beating him! As long as he's keeping me trapped in this prison he can't move!" Kakashi shouted. "The water clone cannot go very far from his body. Just run away now!"

Naruto grit his teeth. "Kasumi-chan?" He glanced towards his female teammate and Sasuke instinctively did the same.

She may not have been as strong as him or even as strong as Naruto was becoming, but sometime during their time together, Kasumi had become their de-facto leader.

Her mind could spit out multiple scenarios and plans in the span of a few heartbeats and she was the best strategist out of them all. It helped that she was never demanding and arrogant. The boys could listen to her and not feel as if she was stomping all over their male egos...not that they would phrase it in such a way. She directed them, made the plans and Sasuke and Naruto made sure those plans went smoothly.

Except now, Kasumi was still and silent. Her face was pale and drawn and she was staring at Kakashi and Zabuza blankly. Shadows screamed inside her normally tranquil brown eyes and she said nothing. Her fists were clenched and her chakra fluctuated unsteadily.

Naruto blinked and stepped closer, reaching up to touch a finger to her cheek. "Kasumi-chan...?"

"Aww." A mocking voice said and Sasuke spun around to see a clone form out of the water. "Is someone upset?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. If Zabuza wasn't who he was, he would have charged forward with a kunai right then and there. What right did he had to insult _his_ team?!

Naruto looked just as murderous.

"Run away! This fight was over the moment I was caught!" Kakashi ordered from where he was captured. "Our task is to protect Tazuna-san!"

Sasuke set his jaw and glanced at his unresponsive teammate. Fine. If Kasumi wasn't up to this, he would take up the mantle of leadership. "Not a chance. Our mission is to protect Tazuna and if we run now, he'll catch up to us effortlessly. There's no point. All we can do right now...is _fight_."

Kasumi and Naruto glanced at him. Naruto's blue eyes were filled with the same determination and resolve that he knew were reflected in his own. As always, Kasumi was harder to read. To his relief though, her clouded eyes seemed to be clearing up slightly. Sasuke did not need his one rational, intelligent teammate freezing up on him.

"How touching." The Zabuza clone jeered. "You can all die together."

Sasuke ignored him. Kasumi's words from the bell test echoed in his mind. _Teamwork is the foundation of Konoha._

"Naruto." The blonde looked back at him levelly. "Are you in?"

The dobe had the nerve to smirk. "Of course!"

"Kasumi." The cream-haired girl turned to stare at him, her eyes unreadable. "Are _you_ in?"

A pause of silence. And then slowly, ever so slowly, a dare-devil smile lit up her eyes. "Why..the...hell...not?!" She responded, turning back to face the Zabuza clone.

He smirked. "Then let's do this."

**Resolve**

"Like we practiced." Kasumi told her teammates and they nodded. "Boys: long-range." She knew her teammates strengths and weaknesses all too well.

"Haha." The laughter of the Zabuza clone startled them. Frowning, they glanced back at him. "Hahahaha!"

"You brats will never grow up." He spat.

"What?" Naruto clenched his fists.

"Going to keep 'playing' ninja, eh?" He raised an open hand. "When I was about your age, these hands were already dyed red with blood."

Both Sasuke and Naruto gulped.

Kasumi bit her lip, but didn't otherwise react. Keep calm. She had to keep calm. Keep calm and betray nothing. Zabuza was already suspicious of her. She couldn't draw anymore attention to herself.

"Devil...Zabuza..." Kakashi muttered from inside the water prison.

"Ah...so you're heard a little about it." Zabuza smirked cruelly.

"Long ago, in the Hidden Mist Village, also called the Bloody Mist Village, there was a final obstacle in becoming ninja." Kakashi said.

"Hm...you even know about the graduating exam." Zabuza glanced idly at his captive.

"That exam?" Naruto questioned.

Kasumi tensed. Why was Zabuza telling them this? To scare them? Psychological warfare? To show them just how out of their league they were? She didn't need the reminder; she was well aware of how badly this could go. Either they would succeed through some major stroke of luck and a drop of skill or the grass would be watered with rivers of their blood.

"Hehehe," Zabuza began to chuckle sinisterly under his breath.

"What's this graduating exam thing?!" Naruto persisted.

Kasumi took in a shuddering breath and Sasuke glanced over at her. What the hell was going on?

"Fights to the death between the students!" Zabuza revealed, looking up with bloodthirsty eyes.

"..." Kakashi reluctantly started to explain. "Friends who have trained and eaten at the same table are pitted against each other and go at it until one of them loses his life. These are friends who had helped each other and shared dreams..."

The trio remained silent, but Kasumi's fingernails dug into her palms. She didn't want her teammates to hear this. They were so...innocent of the horrors of the world, despite how contradictory it seemed with who her teammates were. Sasuke had had a glimpse, but Naruto...

Naruto knew prejudice and hate, but he didn't know evil. Not evil like this.

"10 years ago, the Hidden Mist graduation exam was forced to change." He went on. "This change came after the previous year when a devil appeared."

"A devil?" Naruto repeated, unconsciously touching his stomach.

"Without pause or hesitation, a young boy who was not even a ninja, had killed over a hundred of the students." Kakashi finished to their horror.

"That.." Zabuza commented. "...sure was fun."

"Enough!" Kasumi suddenly snapped, eyes smoldering. They couldn't afford to waste time and they couldn't afford to lower their guards. Zabuza was powerful enough, fast enough that he could then all out while they were sitting ducks listening to his horror stories. "Naruto, clones. Sasuke, go!"

It was a measure of how far they had come when they both unthinkingly obeyed.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto cried and created a ring of clones around the Zabuza clone.

Sasuke took off with a flicker of chakra, heading towards the real Zabuza.

"Che." The clone effortlessly swung his blade, dispelling several dozen clones.

Naruto had already set off after Sasuke. The clone smirked. Fools.

Kasumi stood guard before Tazuna, her eyes on the boys. They were getting closer to the water and she began to feel uneasy. Why wasn't Zabuza doing anyth-

_**'DOWN!'**_ A voice - her safety net, her now fully awake bloodline - screamed inside her head and before Kasumi had processed it; her body was already falling forward to land in a rough push-up position.

A large blade sliced through the air where her neck had been and just barely managed to scratch the back of her neck. She gasped at the realization the clone had gone straight through the Naruto clones and was _standing right behind her!_

"Kasumi-chan!" She heard Naruto scream.

"Damn." Sasuke hissed under his breath.

Blood trickled down her back and Kasumi was all but frozen with fright. She could feel the clone raising his sword, getting ready to swing it and finish her off. Naruto and Sasuke were too far away to help, Kakashi-sensei was trapped, and she couldn't, couldn't-!

_Have faith and let your bloodline protect you._

It was a mantra. One that had been instilled in her since birth. Now, in a moment of utter vulnerability and extreme danger, Kasumi found herself falling right back down onto that childhood quote. It settled over her like a reassuring blanket and suddenly, she could move again.

She withdrew into herself and the outside blurred against her senses. Time wasn't moving, the blade that would cleave her in half hadn't fell down yet.

She reached down, down into her core and found her normal chakra. It was a soothing blue in her Sight and like chains, it was wrapped around a ball of amber. It glowed against her senses, a warm, comforting source of protection. Kasumi cupped it gently between her hands, relishing in the harmony. It had been a long time since she had done this. Since she had been forced to do this.

She took a pinch - "_not too much darling or you'll go too far", her mother had whispered _- of her gloriously serene bloodline and let it flow through her body. It was all to easy to get caught up in that refreshing rush of power, like a near steaming hot shower in the dead of winter. But she forced herself to concentrate, and suddenly, time was moving again and the blade behind her was falling and Naruto was screaming her name and Sasuke was staring at her with haunted, desperate eyes-

But this time, she knew what to do.

The blade's arc of trajectory flashed in her mind's eye. Pushing herself into a forward roll, she bought her chakra-enforced leg up and stopped the lethal blade. The impact hurt, damn near shattered her leg, but she didn't let the pain distract her.

"Concentrate!" She shouted to her teammates. Kasumi didn't know whether they obeyed or not, because the Zabuza clone was moving again.

Raising the giant blade, he tried to bring it crashing down on her once more. She sprang to her feet and dodged it lithely. Another slash followed and she grimaced when she was too slow and a deep slash appeared on her arm.

_'Stomach...the stomach...'_

Kasumi lashed out with her leg towards the clone's knee and when he dodged, followed it up with a chakra-enforced punch to the clone's stomach. She made sure to put all of her hard-won strength and weight behind it.

Her fist hit the clone hard and with a choked off sound, it melted into water.

Gasping for breath, Kasumi fell to her knees, craning her head back to see what her teammates were doing.

She was just in time to see Sasuke throw a large shuriken at Zabuza.

When Kakashi-sensei was free again, she grinned in exhausted triumph. Naruto really was such a genius when it came to plans on the battlefield.

**Worry**

"Kasumi-chan!" Naruto cried, running towards his fallen teammate.

What if she was hurt really bad? Oh God, look at her arm! He mentally beat himself up about not staying with her. He shouldn't have let her get hurt, dammit!

Sasuke followed, leaving Kakashi to deal with Zabuza. Though he wouldn't admit it, he was worried as well. He was also furious at himself for allowing such a thing to happen. For just a second, when Kasumi had been within range of that deadly sharp blade, he had seen - !

"I'm okay." Kasumi said reassuringly when they got close enough. "I'm okay."

Frowning, Naruto crouched beside her, Sasuke standing guard opposite of him.

"Are you sure?" The blonde fussed, eyes wide and concerned.

"I'm sure." She patted his arm, turning back to see a...Kirigakure Hunter-Nin?

Kasumi's blood ran cold, her heart stuttering. It took her every ounce of control she had not to curl up in the fetal position.

Kasumi watched the man take away Zabuza's corpse and frowned. Something was wrong...

Beside her, Naruto blinked and Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

Before she could dwell on it too long, Kakashi fainted and they had a brand new problem to take care of.

Kasumi sighed inwardly. What a 'C-rank' mission this was turning out to be.

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><p><em>Next time:<br>_

_"Kasumi..." He looked straight into her temperate brown eyes. "Have you killed before this mission?"_

* * *

><p><strong>Review~<strong>

**Take a look at my blog and Merry Christmas everybody!**

**Question: What do you think of Kasumi's bloodline?**


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